Early reviews dunk on Wuthering Heights, critics call it a limp romance
Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Wuthering Heights has hit cinemas, but early reviews have been decidedly unfavourable, and audiences are talking.
One of the first major responses comes from The Independent, which labelled the film “astonishingly bad” and likened it to a “limp Mills & Boon” romance rather than the brooding classic that generations of readers know and love. This stark comparison has become the go-to quote across social media, with many users sharing screenshots of the review and questioning the creative direction behind the latest take on Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel.
Critics have focused not just on problems with pacing and tone, but also on the way the adaptation handles character relationships. In its review, The Independent suggested that moments which should carry emotional weight instead feel superficial, more like a glossy romance than an exploration of obsession, revenge and tragedy. This has fuelled a larger conversation online about whether this version captures the soul of the original story or simply repackages it for modern tastes.
Adding to the buzz, Margot Robbie, one of the film’s stars, revealed in a recent interview that several kissing scenes, which are not present in Brontë’s novel, were added during filming. Robbie said these scenes were introduced to heighten the chemistry between characters, but critics argue they only dilute the darker emotional undercurrents that make Wuthering Heights a literary powerhouse.
Some reviewers have gone even further, describing certain portrayals in the film as exaggerated and “bordering on caricature,” with characters depicted as “sexual deviants” rather than complex, tormented souls. This phrase has sparked laughter and disbelief on social media, with users sharing it alongside memes and humorous commentary.
On X (formerly Twitter), reactions range from curious support to outright bafflement. One user wrote that the film feels “like Wuthering Heights on training wheels,” while another joked that the adaptation seems more interested in courting controversy than telling a coherent story. A handful of posts praise the boldness of the attempt, suggesting that fresh approaches to classics can be valuable, but these are in the minority.
Overall, early critical and audience reactions suggest that Wuthering Heights may be one of cinema’s more divisive releases of the season. Whether audiences will warm to it over time remains to be seen, but for now, it’s clear that many viewers expected something very different from what has reached the screen.
