Zane's take at the Cinema's

We have seen what Emerald Fennell did with Promising Young Woman and Saltburn. We’ve learned that she doesn’t play nice with the kinds of stories she tells and the complex characters she creates. While not as good as Promising Young Woman, Saltburn became a much more polarizing movie. This is due to its extreme, shock-value scenes, which resulted in a more divisive movie. The best thing about Emerald Fennell is that there’s always something enticing about how provocative her movies are. She has only two movies under her belt. Yet, she has her own distinctive voice as a director. This is especially notable as a female director. She has a special talent for using dark comedy to produce visceral, frightening moments that frequently make the audience feel uneasy, repulsed, or excited.

A new adaptation of Wuthering Heights shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. We live in an era where any piece of classic literature is always bound for a new take, or any brand for that matter. There have been dozens of adaptations of Wuthering Heights; the most recent example was the 2011 film directed by Andrea Arnold, featuring James Howson and Kaya Scodelario. But like I said in my post top 10 most anticipated for Wuthering Heights, there’s always room for someone to bring a fresh and innovative take on existing source material, which is exactly what Guillermo Del Toro did with last years Frankenstein. Emerald Fennell subverts any expectations one can have with this adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which is faithful in the sense of telling a similar narrative but opting for a more atmospheric, sensual, and intense interpretation. She’s even admitted that the movie is more of a “dreamed-up” version of the story and that this take feels more personal to her. Be that as it may, this is a pretty marvelous movie on every account from an artistic standpoint, substance angles, and emotional depth.

When it comes to any adaptation of a beloved property, there will always be hesitation infused with controversy. Fans totally have the right to bring into question certain things, but one simply cannot deny that adaptations will always take liberties no matter the cost. Without getting into specific details, Emerald Fennell takes some mighty big swings with this take on Emily Brontë’s novel. Characters are much older, scenes are readjusted or taken out completely, and even having the soundtrack by Charli XCX incorporated with a mix of Victorian and Georgian styles is incredibly bold. Even the marketing for this movie left people with some ponderance. I think with all these controversies and all these questions I have for this new version of Wuthering Heights is why it’s so intoxicating. This new version of Wuthering Heights is similar in terms of recapturing the raw passion of the book but different for creating a highly sexualized interpretation of the central relationship. Rather than heavily focusing on the Gothic horror elements, this version dives deeper into the romantic and tragic romance angle. It’s one of the reasons this version stands out more so than some of the other interpretations. One of the reasons this film works so well is that it’s cocky. Emerald Fennell knows exactly what it is and what kind of love story it wants to tell, and she kills it in ways where maybe a lot of other directors might beat around the bush just to make their points. Right from the opening sequence, Emerald Fennell fully embraces this world with her audacious tone and daring vision.

We’re just about halfway through the month of February, and Wuthering Heights is one of the best visual pieces of art the year has had to offer thus far. Whether you liked Saltburn or not, you can’t deny the artistry and visual language it and the exact same thing is to be said about Wuthering Heights. Virtually every single shot of this movie is a painting in and of itself. Linus Sandgren, who also served as the cinematographer for Saltburn, La La Land, No Time to Die, and First Man, is becoming one of the best guys in the industry in his particular field. While the story doesn’t focus too much on the Gothic imagery, the scenery and lighting still give it that Gothic flair with its gorgeous production design, costuming, and landscape scenery.

I’m not ready to say that Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie are the best on-screen movie couple of 2026, but I think I’m confident in the fact that I’ll remember their chemistry for many years to come. Jacob Elordi is on a bit of a hot streak right now, blowing us out of the water with his remarkable performance as the Creature in last year’s Frankenstein, and his performance in Wuthering Heights proves he’s not just a pretty boy. There’s so much power even when his character doesn’t speak He can command the screen on an emotional and visceral level. Nowadays, it’s almost as if people have slept on how good Margot Robbie can be. Lest we forget, she’s a two-time Oscar nominee, and she’s probably not going to get any awards buzz for this role, but nevertheless, she owns it in this. Their relationship is phenomenal, and it’s one of the very few modern romances that hark back to classic love stories. It’s full of lust, toxicity, and anger, and it really holds this movie together.

Emerald Fennell is a director that you’re either on board with or not. Despite what people want to say about its changes from the books, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi have fantastic chemistry. Every time they’re on screen together, the romance in the air grows stronger. The romance is there, and the movie excels at that incredibly well. On a side note, even the addition of Charli XCX’s music surprisingly fit with the approach that Fennell was going with. And for a Valentine’s Day release, I think this is one of those rare instances where this is the perfect film to release for that occasion.