Elordi, Robbie can’t save a gutted Wuthering Heights

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How do Gen Z and Gen Alpha engage with classic literature through a modern lens? While many student reviews of the movie Wuthering Heights come from the college level, where the film has sparked intense academic and stylistic debates, high school journalists have been equally vocal, often focusing on how the film matches (or fails to match) their classroom experience of the novel.

The Student Verdict: A Tale of Two Screens

In high school newspapers across the nation, the consensus is that Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is a “vibe” that forgot its “value.” Many students noted that the film feels more like a 136-minute music video for the Charli xcx soundtrack than a story about 18th-century Yorkshire.

A recurring theme in high school reviews is the “de-aging” of the plot to fit a YA (Young Adult) mold. While the book is a dark study of generational trauma, students feel the movie is a “condensed version” that turns complex abuse into “aesthetic suffering.”

Highlights from the Student Press Box

The casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff is the single most discussed element. Students were quick to point out that the novel explicitly describes Heathcliff as “dark-skinned,” making the choice of a white actor a significant point of contention for a generation focused on representation.

Alexis Coffee at UCLA, writing for The Daily Bruin, noted the jarring nature of the film’s aesthetic: “The elaborate costumes exist alongside Charli xcx’s grotesque electronic soundtrack and the high budget surreal production design – in short, this is not 1771 Yorkshire,” she wrote.

Zosia Dudzic from Warsaw, Poland, observed that the film often feels like it’s trying too hard to be “marketable” to teens at the expense of Brontë’s actual themes: “Fennell softens the initial idea of their relationship, making their suffering easier to watch, but losing much of its meaning along the way. The film feels like an adaptation of a YA book, not Brontë’s classic,” she wrote.

For the M-A Chronicle at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, student journalists Lucia Rose and Niya Desai were even more blunt about “style over substance”: “The costumes are layered, but the characters not so much … the movie feels like an extended perfume commercial: romance, and no depth,” they wrote.

If we aggregate more than 50 student reviews into a “Rotten Tomatoes” style consensus, we get this result:

Wuthering Heights (2026) is a visually breathtaking, “TikTok-ready” reimagining that swaps Brontë’s gothic grit for high-fashion yearning. While Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi sizzle in front of the lens, the film’s “whitewashed” casting and hollowed-out plot leave student readers withering away. It is a stunning “vibe,” but a shallow adaptation.

The “Tomatometer” score: 52% (Splattered)

This video review explores specific points of contention regarding the adaptation’s faithfulness to the book, mirroring many of the concerns raised in the high school students’ articles.

Other high school reviews

‘Wuthering Heights’ wasn’t a bad movie—it just wasn’t anything like the book [MUSE] Carmel, Indiana: Carmel H.S.

‘Wuthering Heights’ was a whirlwind of confusion
Winnetka, Illinois: New Trier H.S.

Movie Review: “Wuthering Heights” fails to deliver
Tomball, Texas: Tomball H.S.

Wuthering Heights Movie Review
Indianapolis, Indiana: Perry Meridian H.S.

A New Take on the Classic Novel
O’Fallon, Missouri: St. Dominic H.S.

Wuthering Heights: Bringing Fresh Life to a Timeless Tale
Westfield, New Jersey: Westfield H.S.

CHARLI XCX RELEASES WUTHERING HEIGHTS ALBUM
Boxford, Massachusetts: Masconomet Regional H.S.

Wuthering Heights
Glendale, California: Glendale H.S.

Wuthering Heights movie causes debate among students, fans
Homewood, Alabama: Homewood H.S.

Movie Review: ‘Wuthering Heights’
San Diego, California: Torrey Pines H.S.

“Wuthering Heights” Adaptation Sparks Discussion
Miami, Florida: Riviera Preparatory School

Passion and pain collide in the new “Wuthering Heights”
Delaware, Ohio: Olentangy Berlin H.S.

‘Wuthering Heights’ delivers a timeless gothic love story
Burlingame, California: Burlingame H.S.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS OF OUTRAGE
Sanford, Florida: Seminole H.S.

Movie lacks novel’s spark
Plainfield, Illinois: Plainfield Central H.S.

The Bookcast: ‘Wuthering Heights’
Carmel, Indiana: Carmel H.S.

Can Charlie XCX’s Wuthering Heights Album Save the Terrible Movie?
Ann Arbor, Michigan: Skyline H.S.

‘Wuthering Heights’ brings captivating romance to screen surprisingly well
Downers Grove, Illinois: Downers Grove South H.S.

‘Wuthering Heights’ soundtrack creates gothic atmosphere
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Baldwin H.S.

Wuthering Heights becomes “Wuthering Whites”
West Chester, Ohio: Lakota West H.S.

“Wuthering Heights”: An Adaptation Abomination
Ashburn, Virginia: Stone Bridge H.S.

Wuthering Heights Movie Review
Hauppauge, New York: Hauppauge H.S.

“Wuthering Heights” was compelling and stunning, but brazenly idiotic
Solon, Ohio: Solon H.S.

Wuthering Heights: A Storybook Wardrobe
Phoenix, Arizona: Sunnyslope H.S.

Classic ‘Wuthering Heights’ reimagined with youthful twists
North Caldwell, New Jersey: West Essex Regional H.S.

‘Raw and Real,’ Wuthering Heights is a hypnotizing film about forbidden love
Shawnee, Kansas: Shawnee Mission Northwest H.S.

‘Wuthering Heights’ review
Downers Grove, Illinois: Downers Grove North H.S.

Opinion: “Wuthering Heights” fails expectations yet again
Olympia, Washington: Olympia H.S.

“Wuthering Heights” Movie Drenches Brontë’s Masterpiece in Rain and Obsession
Bend, Oregon: Summit H.S.

Escapism & vanity in cinema: Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”
Virginia Beach, Virginia: Ocean Lakes H.S.

Gothic Romance Returns: “Wuthering Heights” Sparks Debate and Tears at Plant
Tampa, Florida: HB Plant Senior H.S.

New Movies to Expect in 2026
Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Manheim Township H.S.

Straight out of Wattpad: Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Forest Hills Central H.S.

Wuthering Heights: A Romance or Tragedy?
Austin, Texas: Westlake H.S.

Wuthering Heights: How Saltburn director Emerald Fennell distorts meaning through aesthetics
Manlius, New York: Fayetteville-Manlius H.S.

Controversy on the new ‘Wuthering Heights’
St. Louis Park, Minnesota: St. Louis Park H.S.

Emerald Fennel’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ withers onscreen
Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Laboratory H.S.

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Star in Wuthering Heights
St. Louis Park, Minnesota: Benilde-St. Margaret’s School

Talented cast does not save ‘Wuthering Heights’ from falling flat
Kingwood, Texas: Kingwood Park H.S.

Review: “Wuthering Heights” broke me beautifully
Carrollton, Texas: Hebron H.S.

Wuthering Heights: a divisive take on a gothic classic
San Clemente, California: San Clemente H.S.

Charli XCX’s ‘Wuthering Heights’: production soars, lyricism slumps
Purcellville, Virginia: Loudoun Valley H.S.

Album Review: ‘Wuthering Heights’
San Diego, California: Torrey Pines H.S.

“Wuthering Heights”: Has it been lost in translation?
Lockport, Illinois: Lockport Township H.S.

‘Wuthering Heights’ collapses into cliche
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Bishop McGuinness Catholic H.S.

Wuthering Heights Movie Review
Fenton, Michigan: Fenton H.S.

Heathcliff Reimagined: Wutheirng Heights Apadtation Hits the Big Screen
Walton, Indiana: Lewis Cass H.S.

Director’s Cut: Wuthering Heights
Pleasanton, California: Amador Valley H.S.

Wuthering Heights, Height of Adaptation?
Leonardtown, Maryland: Leonardtown H.S.

Review: ‘Wuthering Heights’ made me think I’m gonna die in this theater
Naperville, Illinois: Naperville Central H.S.

OPINION I think I’m gonna die in this house: “Wuthering Heights.”
Cincinnati, Ohio: Oak Hills H.S.

Wuthering Heights Review
Provo, Utah: Timpview H.S.

“Wuthering Heights” Controversy
Marlton, New Jersey: Cherokee H.S.

Style over substance: ‘Wuthering Heights’ expects to fall short for fans
Stillwater, Minnesota: Stillwater Area H.S.

Wuthering Heights Disappoints
Greenwood, Indiana: Greenwood Community H.S.

“Wuthering Heights” releases with mixed reactions
Cherry Hill, New Jersey: Cherry Hill East H.S.

The release of the new adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” sparks debate
Portland, Oregon: Ida B. Wells-Barnett H.S.

Wuthering Heights’s casting has taken creativity liberty a step too far
Falls Church, Virginia: George Mason H.S.

Why you shouldn’t take your valentine to see “Wuthering Heights”
Dry Fork, Virginia: Tunstall H.S.

Revisiting “Wuthering Heights”: What the new film tells us about modern adaptations of classic novels
Johns Creek, Georgia: Mount Pisgah Christian School

Wuthering Heights, or Withering Filmmaking?
Palisade, Colorado: Palisade H.S.

Anticipating Wuthering Heights
Winter Springs, Florida: Winter Springs H.S.

Anticipating Wuthering Heights
Winter Springs, Florida: Winter Springs H.S.

Opinions waiver on ‘Wuthering Heights’
Mt Pleasant, South Carolina: Wando H.S.

From Stories to Screenplays: Book Adaptations in 2026
Alexandria, Virginia: St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

What Makes a Good Adaptation? Exploring Public Reception to the New “Wuthering Heights.”
Worcester, Massachusetts: South H.S. – Worcester

February 2, 2026, Wuthering Heights
Colonia, New Jersey: Colonia H.S.

Paul Katula
Paul Katulahttps://news.schoolsdo.org
Paul Katula is the executive editor of the Voxitatis Research Foundation, which publishes this blog. For more information, see the About page.

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