The 2026 adaptation of Wuthering Heights offers a unique but sometimes inaccurate take on Emily Brontë’s classic novel. The movie stars Jacob Elordi as Heathcliffe and Margot Robbie as Catherine who portray the demented love of the pair from childhood until adulthood.

Set in the gusty moors of Yorkshire, the movie, directed by Emerald Fennel, does an excellent job of capturing and setting the tone for the story. The lighting and color choices for the movie create a sad, but hopeful atmosphere, and includes many muted tones and gloomy grey skies. This choice in lighting and color makes the set feel extremely realistic, allowing the audience to truly feel like they are a part of the movie.

However, the set design can at times feel stylized for a modern era and not thus not completely historically accurate as can be seen in Wuthering Heights’ glossy exterior stones. These modern touches can also be heard in the movie’s soundtrack, which features Charlie XCX’s second soundtrack album called Wuthering Heights. The contrast between the contemporary music and the set design makes the audience feel confused about whether they are truly immersed in the movie.

Although the original novel followed a more non-linear plot and consisted of multiple flashbacks of the characters and their past, the 2026 adaption had a chronological plot. The movie, unlike the book, chooses to portray Heathcliffe and Catherine’s relationship in a more linear fashion. Yet, this discrepancy between the book and the movie made the story appear less confusing for the audience, and instead allowed them better follow and digest the plot.

The movie also featured Owen Cooper, who portrays young Heathcliffe, and Charlotte Mellington, who plays young Catherine. Cooper, who recently won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television for Adolescence, and Mellington perfectly captured Heathcliffe and Catherine’s childhood, signaling the potential for their romantic relationship to blossom. Their childhood interactions established a stage for the pair’s obsessive love that will in the future drive the story.

All in all, while some features of Wuthering Heights are contemporary and do take away from the original story, the retake still does a magnificent job of capturing the heart of the 19th century story. Thus, overall, the 2026 adaptation of Wuthering Heights is a stellar retelling that revitalizes a timeless novel, even if it does take some creative risks.