The Snoozefest That Is ‘Wuthering Heights’

February 21, 2026

TL;DR

Emerald Fennell's adaptation of 'Wuthering Heights' is compared to her previous films, 'Promising Young Woman' and 'Saltburn,' highlighting a recurring theme of outsiders infiltrating situations.
The film is accused of diluting the novel's themes of abuse, addiction, and classism by focusing on explicit BDSM and sexual encounters, which the reviewer deems 'shockingly and undeniably boring.'
Key characters and plotlines from Brontë's novel are either cut or significantly altered, weakening Heathcliff's motivations and removing the central conflict surrounding Edgar Linton's impotence.
While Fennell attempts to capture the novel's uncanny atmosphere through visual allusions and anachronistic elements, the energy invested in world-building is absent from character development.
The reviewer suggests Fennell's approach caters to a millennial normalization of kink and amateur erotica, ultimately defanging Brontë's 'immortal characters' rather than interrogating the implications of their toxic relationship.

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