Any good adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic book understands that both Catherine and Heathcliff’s love language is torment. Torment to each other and torment to all others around them. It is not a love story, but an avalanche of passion for love and cascading of passion for vengeance. But what truly motivates each of them throughout the story is their awareness that they are equally condemned. Cathy and Heathcliff are condemned. They are monsters, villains to their own story, but were molded to be.  Because their desire to be the only ones in the world is not a reality for them and they are angry. Cathy is first to severe ties of their enthralled relationship by marrying Edgar and Heathcliff in returns runs off and becomes wealthy only to use his fortune to get back at Catherine. Their intensity and wild dreariness is reflected in the setting of the windswept stormy Yorkshire moors. Director Emerald Linnell lucky understands this and then adds gaudy and saturation to it. The result is a solid upgrade of an adaption. It more than works. It’s good, just not great. 

This isn’t a strict faithful adaptation, there are no ghosts like in the book, no Mr. Lockwood to start the story. For this version the story  has been filed down but not the aesthetic-that has been pumped up. It is visually wonderful to look at. Loyal fans of the book might frown at how much of the book is not in this but they have plenty of other versions to hold dear. This is an immense widening of scope and scale to the story that desperately needed.

This adaptation might have sustaining power. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi do have great chemistry together. It’s the supporting characters casting that leaves me unfulfilled namely with the role Edgar. Even with that, all other performances are terrific and the production design was amazing-absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t mind seeing it get nominated for it. The one big minus to the film is that I do think is the costume and the makeup. It does not work at all- and in fact subtracts from it. It’s not complimentary to the film, in fact, stands out to all the wrong ways. Wuthering Heights should be about the brooding and dark gothic feel and should be implemented in the costume. Trying to be outrageous just to be outrageous in the wardrobe especially in this film hurts it. Still it is worth seeing, especially in theaters. Keep Wuthering Heights forever a tale of haunting gothic torment and people will keep coming.  7.5/10