Content Warning: Some spoilers for a 2026 movie and a 179-year-old novel.

I beg all filmmakers to stop making movies longer than two hours. If you can’t tell your story in two hours, then it should probably be a miniseries. Miniseries, or a limited series, are a good thing! It gives the story plenty of time and space to breathe, and the multiple episodes feel like the chapters in a book.

Emerald Fennell‘s take on Emily Brontë’s 1947 novel “Wuthering Heights” debuted earlier this February to mixed reviews. Fans of the book were suspicious and downright furious at Fennell for her creative choices (some of which was warranted), but in a way that hinted at the deep betrayal only book fanatics feel (like it was a personal slight instead the sad reality that someone with connections in the film industry got to bring their lavish, if different from your own, interpretation of a book you love to life).

Given the amount of trash talk that went into the movie before the first trailer dropped, I wanted to know what the final product would be like and whether it would soothe the angry tempers of bookstagram. I was hoping the movie would be good, because I like to like things. Life is easier when you can enjoy art, even if it’s not what you thought you wanted.

My connection to Wuthering Heights is weak compared to most people online sharing their opinions. I knew about the book from reading the Twilight Saga (go ahead and judge me) and an offhand comment by Cleolinda Jones, who referred to it as “Not as a romance novel but a war of attrition” in her review of Stephenie Meyer‘s “New Moon.”

I heard the Kate Bush song and thought it was bananas, then watched the “Thug Notes” explanation of it, and eventually read the book in 2017. I did not read the book because it called to me, but because I’d finished “Jane Eyre” and it was next on my list. Also, the thought of Bella Swan, of all people, reading a book I haven’t read makes me feel insecure and uncultured. From my reading, I remember understanding about 5 seconds of the plot and thinking, “These people are freaks.”

I did like the part where Cathy Jr. fell in love with and married Hareton Earnshaw, as if the cycle of abuse had finally been broken. That’s the extent of my knowledge, and it is untrue to call me someone who loves the book. I bring this up not to show that I’m unbothered by a bad book adaptation, but so that if you love this book and hate this movie, you can ignore every kind or permissive thing I say about it.

Having liked Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” and tolerated “Saltburn,” I decided to give “Wuthering Heights” a chance because I do think Fennell employs interesting visuals, talented actors, and unique music in her work. I went in with an open mind, and even a little hope that it might be good.

I am delighted when movies manage to surprise their audiences, especially when we expect so little from them. For example, I went into the show “Heated Rivarly” thinking it would be barely a step above the CW trash I sometimes enjoy, and now I’m so obsessed with that show I’m rewatching the ending to episode 5 like it is my guiding light. Being surprised with happiness is nice!

With all that being said, I can honestly say after watching “Wuthering Heights,” my feelings are… I don’t know.

Fennell stated in an interview that the reason her version of “Wuthering Heights” was stylized with quotation marks was that this project was her vision of the story brought to life and meant to encapsulate the feelings of a teenage girl reading “Wuthering Heights” for the first time. It was clear from her interviews that she intended this film to be just another addition to the long list of classic book-to-film adaptations we get every year.

As of this year, there are many, many adaptations of Wuthering Heights, ranging from multiple films (period-accurate and otherwise), shows, books, and even operas. The world is not lacking in adaptations of this material, but based on what I’ve read online, the book is lacking adaptations that feel true to the book.

“Wuthering Heights” may not be my favorite, but I can empathize with anyone disappointed by a screen adaptation of a beloved story. When the 2023 version of “Persuasion” debuted with Dakota Johnson, I desperately wanted to like it but was disappointed. However, I was somewhat comforted by the presence of the excellent 1995 film, the decent 2007 film, and the other adaptations that have existed for years. I would love more of my favorite book, but I can be satisfied with what I have, especially knowing that many other people feel the same way, at least enough to keep adding to Anne and Frederick’s story. I hope the knowledge that other people will still love “Wuthering Heights” after seeing this okay-ish movie brings fans some comfort.

Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is hardly the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the best. For one, the movie is too long at over two hours. I would understand the long run-time if it adapted the second part of the book (after Cathy dies and the next generation grows up), but Fennell chose to adapt the first part. In Fennell’s defense, she is not the first director to adapt only some of “Wuthering Heights,” but you lose so much by ignoring how the unresolved problems of the first generation poison the next.

To enjoy this movie, you have to be extremely invested in the love between Cathy and Heathcliff, which, while kind of interesting, wasn’t enough for me, at least not in this movie. Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie are great actors, but they felt miscast in their roles. Off the top of my head, I think Shazad Latif, the actor cast as Edgar Linton, would have made a better Heathcliff. And as much as I despise ageism in Hollywood, Margot Robbie, the most beautiful woman in the world, is significantly older than Catherine Earnshaw, who always struck me as immature. Kathryn Newton might have been a better choice (again, that casting is off the top of my head). Two hours and 15 minutes is too long to watch Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi pretend to be into each other, and this intense focus on their relationship detracted from the other characters.

The best part of the movie, by far, was the moody, atmospheric soundtrack by Charlie XCX and Finn Keane. Whether or not Charlie XCX was the best choice to lead the music in a period film is up to viewer interpretation, though for me it was the best part of the movie. The songs were full of raw emotion, like despair, unfulfilled love, obsession, and hatred. It would be difficult to pick out a favorite song from the movie, although “Almost Everywhere” and “Altars” are standouts. I will forget about “Wuthering Heights,” but I will continue listening to this soundtrack and use it as the background for my mental fantasies of characters from books I actually like.

There were other standouts from the film that are worth mentioning. The set design was incredible, and I loved how Edgar Linton’s garden was drenched in soft lighting and pastels, like a Jean-Honoré Fragonard painting, suggesting Linton’s estate is a beautiful, if empty, fantasy. Meanwhile, Wuthering Heights is in a constant state of disrepair, with each room either filthy, freezing, or a skin-crawling combination of the two. The costume design may have been the opposite of period-accurate, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t obsessed with everything Margot Robbie wore. Her costumes were so elaborate they made the gowns from “Bridgerton” look tasteful and understated. Heathcliff’s costumes may have been more understated, but I loved the addition of his little gold hoop earring and gold tooth after he returned to Wuthering Heights as a self-made man.

While I think everyone in the cast did their best with the material they had, Alison Olliver‘s strange portrayal of Isabella Linton is especially underrated. Maybe Olliver should have been cast as Catherine Earnshaw. Isabella Linton is a sad character in “Wuthering Heights,” a casualty in Heathcliff and Cathy’s war, and very much a victim of Heathcliff’s cruelty. As much as I loved Alison Olliver onscreen and hope to see more of her, I understand why fans of the book would be upset by this depiction of her character.

This movie was way too long for the story it presented. Fennell should have cast other actors in the lead roles. That one shot at the end with Cathy was gross. So many different choices could have been made to make the movie more palatable, but this is what we got. At least we can appreciate the banging soundtrack.