Another new film adaptation of a book, Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Tonya,” “Suicide Squad,” “Barbie”) as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi (“Kissing Booth,” “Euphoria,” “Saltburn,” “Frankenstein”) as Heathcliff, keeps growing in views, making the movie one of the most talked about literary remakes of the year.
Released on Feb. 14, 2026, the movie has already gained a 4.3/5 star rating on Amazon Prime. Most people who read Emily Brontë’s version found some of the changes in the movie controversial.
Before getting into the movie versus book comparison, it’s important to introduce all the characters. For the movie, Catherine and Heathcliff are raised by Mr. Earnshaw, Nelly is Catherine’s servant, who is also a child, and Joseph is another servant, but all at Wuthering Heights. Isabella and Edgar move into a house five miles away in Thrushcross Grange. In the book, Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw raise Catherine, Hindley (Catherine’s brother), and Nelly, and later takes in Heathcliff. Hindley was a drunk and a gambler, and Joseph was very unkind and could not speak English very well. A man named Lockwood discovers Wuthering Heights on his journey and unravels the story of what happened at Wuthering Heights. Then, a second generation is presented with three new children; Catherine (or Cathy), Linton, and Hareton.
The movie starts off showing Catherine’s childhood at Wuthering Heights introducing all the people at her home. Viewers eventually meet young Heathcliff and the movie begins to jump right into how their relationship grows starting as kids. In the book, a man named Lockwood makes a journey to Thrushcross Grange (the rich and nice land five miles away from Wuthering Heights) and explores Wuthering Heights and the people there. He writes down what he sees in his journal, which continues for the first three chapters, until he makes his way back to Thrushcross Grange and meets Ellen Dean. Ellen, otherwise known as Nelly, takes over the narrative role and shares the story of what happened at Wuthering Heights all from the very beginning. This narration difference creates a contrast between the opening mood of Wuthering Heights. Also, Nelly’s narration shaped the story, showing she was a catalyst for change, instead of the movie’s portrayal with an outsider’s perspective.
The most noticeable change in the movie versus the book was the entire second generation. In the movie, Catherine discovers she is pregnant with Edgar’s child, who is a boy. After Heathcliff returns back to Wuthering Heights, Catherine and Heathcliff have an affair. Edgar becomes knowledgeable of the situation and forbids her from leaving. Nelly burns all the letters Heathcliff sends to Catherine during the time he and Catherine can not see each other, leading Catherine to spiral. She becomes so depressed and mentally ill after being separated from Heathcliff that she starves herself.
**Spoiler Alert: Edgar and Catherine’s baby dies before birth, killing Catherine.**
Senior Julia Saidel is one of the people in her AP English class reading Wuthering Heights. She saw the movie in theaters and was very confused about the differences between the book and movie.
A viewer and book reader, senior Julia Saidel, adds “The movie and book were literally so different, and honestly with reading the book and watching it, it confuses me, questioning if I really had even read the book,” Saidel said. “But, the movie definitely showed how Heathcliff is manipulative and how Nelly is a big problem in Catherine and Heathcliff’s love story.”
However, in the book, it continues after Catherine’s death with a second generation. She gave birth to her and Edgar’s child (a girl), which ended up killing her in the book. Edgar raises their daughter, also named Catherine, to be well-mannered and proper. She later on meets Linton (Isabella and Heathcliff’s son) and falls in love with him. They marry, but their relationship is very toxic and was forced by Heathcliff’s manipulation for his ultimate revenge plan. Linton and Heathcliff later on die, and Cathy ends up marrying Hareton (Hindley’s son). Cathy and Hareton break the toxic cycle from the start of the book caused by Heathcliff and Catherine, and live happily ever after… meanwhile the entire second generation was cut from the movie.
A lot of viewers were also shockingly surprised by the number of physical interactions between Catherine and Heathcliff in the movie. The movie almost portrayed Heathcliff and Catherine’s love as something that was more physical and toxic, while the book portrays their love as star-crossed lovers or soul ties, making their relationship sound very innocent. The book expands deeper into the longing and yearning they have for each other.
Margot Robbie did a fabulous job portraying Catherine. In both works, Catherine is torn between her love for Heathcliff and her desire for social status and a wealthy life. This makes her act impulsively and selfishly at times. Robbie’s portrayal of Catherine focuses more on her emotional vulnerability than destructive habits. She also plays Catherine’s unspoken mental illness very well, acting as if there is something not quite right in her mind.
Senior Mackenzie Turk read Wuthering Heights in her own time. She saw the movie in theaters and did enjoy the movie a lot but disagreed that it was better than the book.
A viewer and book reader, senior Mackenzie Turk, continues “Margot Robbie portrayed Catherine in a true way,” Turk said. “The book allowed more in-depth conclusions to be drawn about her character, but the movie allowed viewers to feel and visibly see her emotions through the screen. It was a very enjoyable adaptation, but nothing compares to the original wonders from the book.”
Continuing, Jacob Elordi did an incredible job portraying Heathcliff. He acted more brutish, quiet and observative in the film, toning down the vengeance mentioned in the book. Heathcliff is extremely cruel, vengeful and manipulative in the novel, while he is seen more as misunderstood and quiet in the movie. His vengeance still continues after Catherine’s death and onto the second generation.
Ultimately, the movie was excellent with entertaining acting, even if one knows what will happen next if they read the book. Robbie gave Catherine emotional depth, while Elordi gave a gentleness to Heathcliff. These changes make a significant change in how the characters are viewed in the book and in the movie. I give this movie a 3.8/5 warrior feather rating and would recommend downloading Amazon Prime to watch it.
