Wuthering Heights… When Barbie Met Elvis.
Yes, Barbie‘s Margot Robbie meets Priscilla‘s Jacob Elordi, with director/screenwriter Emerald Fennell, who brought us 2023’s so-so Saltburn, the one which ended with Barry Keoghan dancing around in the buff, if you’re a fan of chipolatas.
Still, it’s Wuthering Heights… again.
And before this began, there was an advert for a forthcoming Netflix of Pride And Prejudice. Yes, that one. Again… When are we getting something new?
On the plus side, it does start with an amusing moment, which I’ll put behind a spoiler head in case you want to experience it first-hand afresh…
I’ve never read nor watched any form of Wuthering Heights before, my only experience being the Kate Bush song – which sadly doesn’t come up in this, because it has a new soundtrack from Charli XCX – whatever that is. Still, after young Cathy (Charlotte Mellington) grows up with Dad (Martin Clunes), and takes in scruffy urchin Heathcliff (Owen Cooper – Adolescence), we fast-forward 20 years… I assume – since it’s not spelled out exactly, Dad’s still Dad, but the kids have grown up considerably, and companion/nanny/housemaid etc Nelly has changed from Vy Nguyen to Hong Chau (The Menu).
There’s a bit of Fifty Shades Of Cathy, as Elordi catches the heroine rubbing one out, and tastes her fingers… before he runs away, causing his potential beau to mope around outside… I was waiting for someone to shout, “Cathy come home!”
Still, after she’s introduced to Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif – Atomic), she meets the most barking mad individual ever to grace the planet who wasn’t a Reform voter, his sister, Isabella (Alison Oliver – Conversations With Friends), who gives her a doll based upon herself, AND made from her hair! A sort-of… Barbie doll.
Clunes is amusing when playing Margot’s Dad behaving badly, as he sinks into depression and pisses away what money he had, but why has Edgar Linton been race-swapped from a “fair-skinned, light-haired, and blue-eyed” man to a Pakistani chap?
Wuthering Heights has nice locations, but doesn’t Nelly get bored of never going out? She just sits around reading all day when she’s got nothing better to do. Still, I was feeling the tedium while sitting through this.
And one plot point I’ll mention, but also hide just in case you want to know zero before seeing this…
I don’t go a bundle on period dramas anyway, but as the show comes to an end and you wonder who will end up with whom, it seems I’m not the only one who wonders what the big deal with this adaptation is, since it’s only got 6.3/10 on IMDB from 20,000 votes, so far, and they made it sound like it was going to be an awards runaway success. From what I can see, not a single nomination!
Hamnet has loads, and that’s equally fucking boring.
Still, on the plus side, at least this film’s been shot in a straight 1.85:1 aspect ratio, rather than Fennell being arty-farty and shooting in a narrow 4:3 ratio as with Saltburn, which was just fucking irritating.
NOTE: There are no mid- nor post-credits scenes.
Wuthering Heights is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 136 minutes
Release date: February 13th 2026
Studio: Warner Bros
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (35mm, Super 35, VistaVision)
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 3/10
Director: Emerald Fennell
Producers: Emerald Fennell, Rosie Goodwin, Josey McNamara, Margot Robbie
Screenplay: Emerald Fennell
Novel: Emily Brontë
Music: Anthony Willis
Cast:
Cathy: Margot Robbie
Heathcliff: Jacob Elordi
Nelly: Hong Chau
Edgar: Shazad Latif
Isabella: Alison Oliver
Mr. Earnshaw: Martin Clunes
Joseph: Ewan Mitchell
Zillah: Amy Morgan at an event for Heights (2005)
Mrs Burton: Jessica Knappett
Young Cathy: Charlotte Mellington
Young Heathcliff: Owen Cooper
Young Nelly: Vy Nguyen
Jane: Millie Kent
Sister Mercy: Vicki Pepperdine
Heathcliff’s Father: Paul Rhys
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.