Wuthering Heights: Beautifully Toxic, Moody, and Manipulative

There’s no denying that Wuthering Heights is crafted with intention. From the very first frame, the atmosphere is thick and palpable—you don’t just see it, you feel it. The gothic imagery, the moody landscapes, the candlelit interiors—it’s a visual feast. Every frame looks curated to evoke dread, longing, and decay. The score and soundtrack do a lot of heavy lifting too, swelling at just the right moments to manipulate your emotions in the same way the characters manipulate each other. The film absolutely wants you to feel something, and it uses every cinematic tool at its disposal to make sure you do.

That said, the first hour is a slog. It lingers a little too long in its own moodiness without giving you much to latch onto emotionally. You’re watching beautiful misery, but it takes time before that misery becomes compelling. And maybe that’s intentional—but it still drags.

What does work tremendously is the chemistry between Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie. Their connection is magnetic, even when the script doesn’t fully convince you of the epic, all-consuming love it insists they share. I never quite bought the depth of that passion; it felt more obsessive than transcendent—but Elordi and Robbie sell the tension. Elordi, in particular, cements himself as a new-generation heartthrob here. He leans fully into the brooding, toxic romantic archetype, and he does it well.

The second half is where the film really comes alive. The gaslighting, the emotional warfare, the suffocating toxicity—it becomes sharper, uglier, and far more engaging. The manipulation between characters mirrors how the movie itself manipulates the audience through sound, visuals, and tone. By the end, you’re not necessarily rooting for anyone (because, frankly, they’re all kind of terrible), but you are invested in the chaos.

Ultimately, Wuthering Heights is less about romance and more about obsession and destruction. It’s not always emotionally convincing, and it definitely takes its time getting there, but when it hits its stride, it’s immersive and intense. You may not love the characters, but the film will absolutely make you feel something.