What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is striking to look at and hear, but Tom’s Guide reviewer Alix Blackburn finds its treatment of destructive love less satisfying. She awards it 3 out of 5 stars: a feast for the eyes that leaves a sour note about what the film does—and does not—say about obsession and harm.
What the review praises
Blackburn’s strongest praise is for the film’s visual and sonic craft. Costumes, sets and cinematography work together to create images she calls a “visual feast”; the sound design adds to that immersive effect. The appeal is not merely attractive individual frames, but the coordination of production design and sound into a vivid screen world.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Wuthering Heights (Penguin Classics) | $6.43 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Wuthering Heights (Wordsworth Classics) | $7.60 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Wuthering Heights: The Complete & Unabridged Gothic Classic | $14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Wuthering Heights | $6.48 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Wuthering Heights (Masterpiece Library Edition) | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
That beauty is also the source of the review’s unease. The images make the central relationship seductive, while Blackburn questions whether the film adequately confronts the damage bound up in obsessive attachment.
Why the romance leaves a sour note
Blackburn argues that the film does not fully face the consequences of destructive love. In her view, its presentation risks glamorizing the very behavior that should trouble the viewer. She also finds that Cathy’s treatment diminishes her empowerment rather than giving her agency equal weight with the romance’s intensity.
#1 Best Overall
This is Blackburn’s response to the film, not a book-to-film fidelity verdict: she says she had not read Emily Brontë’s novel before the screening. Her concern is about the movie’s own emotional and moral framing.
How the adaptation narrows Brontë’s story
Other reviewers describe Fennell’s adaptation as selective, notably omitting the novel’s second half and some characters. They differ on what that choice achieves. In The Atlantic, David Sims argues that narrowing the story can make a difficult novel feel more nimble, even as it removes major material. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton is more critical, arguing that the production design receives more investment than the characters. The Associated Press’s Lindsey Bahr describes a shift toward a simpler narrative about hate and its effects.
Rank #2
Those differences help explain why viewers may come away with different judgments: a concentrated, visually driven romance can feel purposeful to some, while readers looking for the novel’s broader character and generational complexity may see the omissions as a substantial loss.
What Fennell says about Heathcliff
In a Los Angeles Times interview, director and screenwriter Emerald Fennell calls Heathcliff “an extreme antihero. He’s cruel and he’s violent and he’s relentless and he’s vengeful and he’s spiteful.” That is Fennell’s characterization of the role, not a neutral account of how the film’s portrayal lands. Blackburn’s reservation is that the movie’s seductive surface does not sufficiently reckon with the harm attached to such a figure and relationship.
Who may respond to this version
- Consider it if you want a visually rich, provocative romance and value elaborate production design and sound.
- Temper expectations if you want the film to examine the consequences of destructive attachment as closely as it aestheticizes it.
- Know the adaptation is selective if you are coming to it for Brontë’s full story; critics disagree about whether the narrower focus clarifies or impoverishes the material.
Film details and viewing options
Warner Bros. identifies Wuthering Heights as written and directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Its official page lists the U.S. theatrical opening as February 13, 2026, and international release beginning February 11, 2026: Warner Bros. Pictures.
AP reported a 136-minute runtime and an R rating for sexual content, some violence and language. Rotten Tomatoes displayed subscription options on Prime Video and HBO Max, plus rental or purchase options through Fandango, when accessed October 8, 2026. Those listings are time- and territory-dependent; check your local service for current availability.
Rank #4
At the time of that same October 8, 2026 check, Rotten Tomatoes showed a 57% Tomatometer score from 357 reviews and a 74% Popcornmeter score from more than 2,500 verified ratings. These are changing aggregates, not fixed measures of quality.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →
