One day, in not-so-jolly-old England, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) brings home a "pet" for his daughter, Cathy (Charlotte Mellington). This is an orphaned lad, Heathcliff (Owen Cooper), whom the old man conveniently found on the streets. Cathy and Heathcliff grow up together and are deeply in love by the time Margot Robbie & Jacob Elordi tag-in as their older selves. Unfortunately, they're also deeply in trouble.
By this point, the old man’s vices threaten his titular estate with ruin. To alleviate this, Cathy decides to marry her rich neighbor Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). That’s despite her still being in love with Heathcliff, who rides off in disgrace. Years later, Heathcliff is now a rich man, and he's still madly in love with Cathy. But since he can't have her, he'll settle with Edgar's sister, Isabella (Alison Oliver). It all goes downhill for everyone, especially Heathcliff. I think that's basically it.
I should probably highlight some changes made here. For starters, it doesn't even allude to the novel's nested storytelling structure, which even the famous 1939 film somewhat utilized. Many supporting characters, like Cathy's big brother Hindley, as well as the novel's second half, are tossed out. And don't get me started on Heathcliff's origins. These few cases change the original story quite a lot. So, what can you expect if you've never experienced it before?
Well, you can expect a mad love story. The younger pair playing Cathy & Heathcliff are engaging, especially when he protects her from the old man's wrath. The older pair are mostly fine together and apart. Cathy marrying Edgar despite her still loving Heathcliff is tragically understandable. And, for most of the movie, you'll feel for Heathcliff as he's consumed by heartbreak. His descent into villainy is disturbing, especially when Isabella is brought into it. But then, we're expected to care about him when the downer ending hits. It doesn't really work. But between that, and a few other directing flourishes, I see it working as an indirect satire of the novel's most romantic interpretations.
Don't believe me? The old man's wrath is kicked off by Heathcliff shivering in his presence. Yes, it's because they got caught in the rain, but he's also scared of the old man. "How dare you be scared of me!" he basically says. "I should teach you a lesson!" Years of drinking later turns him into a full-tilt scenery connoisseur - but at least he's nicer to Heathcliff! Isabella, meanwhile, is a childish nightmare enthusiast even before Heathcliff shows up. The film opens with an execution that everyone, young Cathy included, is too much into. Still, Cathy's best friend, Nelly Dean (Hong Chau/Vy Nguyen), is a compelling voice of reason in this mad world.
If there's a reason to watch this movie, it's for the technicals. It's almost a month before the next Oscars, but already, I'm penciling in cinematographer Linus Sandgren, production designer Suzie Davies and costume designer Jacqueline Durran in my proverbial ballot for next year. And really, who can blame me once you behold their designs for yourself? Its sets are especially massive on the big screen, Edgar's estate is positively striking, and the location filming in Yorkshire Dales make them truly like another world. Victoria Boydell skillfully edits these vibrant images, which are perfectly accentuated by Anthony Willis's evocative score and Charli XCX's moody songs.
Anyone expecting a screen accurate adaptation of Wuthering Heights here should go away. Yes, it's pretty blunt, but then again, so is this movie. Fennell has gone on record that it encapsulates how she felt reading the novel as a teenager. I can respect this interpretation, despite what I might have suggested earlier. You just need to see this movie to believe it, or not. I've said enough.
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