Critics Split Over Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' Starring Margot Robbie
Reviews praise Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi's chemistry but fault Emerald Fennell's stylized reinvention; runtime 136 minutes, in theaters Feb. 13.
Overview
Major U.S. critics published mixed reviews of Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights" on its Feb. 13 release, with some calling it her best film and others calling it shallow, according to published reviews.
The film matters as Fennell's follow-up to Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn, raising awards expectations and scrutiny of her decision to excise the novel's second half, critics noted.
The Motion Picture Association rated "Wuthering Heights" R for "sexual content, some violent content and language," and Warner Bros. distributed the film, ratings records and studio materials show.
The film runs 136 minutes and stars Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver and Hong Chau, and multiple reviewers highlighted that Fennell removed elements of Heathcliff's racial otherness, a contested change.
Box office results and awards-season response will be tracked during the opening weekend beginning Feb. 13, and some critics predicted that polarized reviews could limit the film's awards momentum, reviewers said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the film as stylistically bold but substantively shallow, relying on evaluative adjectives and cultural comparisons to emphasize provocation over depth. They foreground production design and sexualized spectacle, downplay or criticize altered themes (such as erasing Heathcliff’s racial otherness), and organize coverage to prioritize tone and critique over balanced context.
Sources (5)
FAQ
Margot Robbie stars as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, with Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, and Hong Chau in supporting roles.
Fennell excised the novel's second half, removed elements of Heathcliff's racial otherness by casting a white actor, and created a stylized 'version' rather than a direct adaptation, as she emphasized with the title in quotation marks.
The film is 136 minutes long, rated R for sexual content, some violent content, and language, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and released in theaters on February 13, 2026, after premiering on January 28, 2026.
Heathcliff is described in the novel as racially ambiguous, resembling a 'dark-skinned gipsy' or 'Lascar,' but Fennell cast white actor Jacob Elordi, leading to debate over representation.
This is Fennell's follow-up to 'Promising Young Woman' (2020) and 'Saltburn' (2023); Margot Robbie produced both prior films and stars here, while Elordi appeared in 'Saltburn'.
History
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