"Wuthering Heights" 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

"Wuthering Heights" 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Dirty pretty things.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 1, 2026

Emily Brontë's only novel, Wuthering Heights, has been adapted dozens of times for film and television, but it's very important to note that this recent iteration by Emerald Fennell -- shrewdly stylized with quotation marks to separate it more fully from the book -- goes far out of its way to be different. The award-winning director, who previously helmed Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, has clearly not aimed for a xeroxed page-to-screen adaptation here, choosing instead a flexible take on the material that "felt closest to the feelings she had when first reading the novel when she was 14 years old." Cosmopolitan is hardly a bastion of journalistic integrity, but the differences between book and film were enough for them to compile a 13-point list detailing the major ones. (Vanity Fair only found seven.)

Assuming you've read through that list (at the risk of spoilers, of course), I could probably end the review right here because you might've already made up your mind about "Wuthering Heights". But if you haven't, I'll tread lightly from here on out in what will be a fittingly even more condensed write-up about the film than usual. The short version is that "Wuthering Heights" tells a darker, more viscerally intense, more blatantly sexual, and consistently crueler story than Brontë's original novel. Entire characters are drastically altered or omitted entirely, motivations are different and, well, the entire second half is gone... and for those whose initial reaction might be that a sequel is forthcoming (especially given its box office success), that's probably not happening due to one particular plot change.

"Wuthering Heights" focuses mostly on Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington as a child, Margot Robbie as an adult) and Heathcliff (Owen Cooper and Jacob Elordi). Cathy lives on the titular estate with her cruel father (Martin Clunes) and young caretaker Nelly (Hong Chau), and dad's uncaring attitude clearly shapes his daughter's treatment of those around her. Often drunk, habitually gambling, and always emotionally abusive, Mr. Earnshaw does perhaps one good thing in this story: brings home a young, nameless boy abandoned by his parents as additional help. Cathy names him "Heathcliff" and treats him as a pet and a pet project, teaching him how to read but exercising total authority over almost every aspect of his life. From an early age, Heathcliff attempts to repay her by taking the brunt of her father's outbursts... but as they grow into adulthood, violence and control will shape both of them in similar ways.

Years later, the estate has fallen into disrepair... and it looks even worse compared to their new neighbors, wealthy Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif) and his ward Isabella (Alison Oliver), a bookish young woman obsessed with ribbons and fabrics. Although Cathy doesn't make the best first impression, spraining her ankle while spying on the pair, they nurse her back to health during several weeks while a misunderstanding later leaves Cathy and Heathcliff separated for a very long time. Despite an obvious attraction between the two childhood "friends", for lack of a better word, the failure to admit their feelings has driven them apart: him to a new life and her to marriage with another, while Mr. Earnshaw drinks his life away and turns into a decrepit, wraith-like version of his imposing former self.

Since certain major elements of "Wuthering Heights" veer drastically away from the source material, only those with fierce and unbreakable ties to Emily Brontë's novel will object. While occasional narrative faults and plot conveniences can be seen, this is a carefully crafted film that seems to have carried most of the original story's spirit -- well, the first half, anyway -- and, like the book, is a provocative and clear-intentioned effort that was frequently criticized for being vulgar, immoral, and even savage when it was released. As much as I appreciate this film's ambitious, unconventional approach and bold ending, I can certainly understand if many might be turned off by the liberties takes along the way. Even so, I'd argue that more than enough plot-faithful adaptations of the book -- which was now written nearly 180 years ago -- have been made over the years to let something different slip through on occasion.

Released as separate 4K UHD and Blu-ray options, Warner Bros. offers sturdy support for "Wuthering Heights" in both formats; both are proportionately very good to excellent from an A/V perspective, and the included bonus features are all interesting and help to provide additional context that might actually make you appreciate the film more.

"Wuthering Heights" 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here.

Almost every dollar of this film's $80M budget can be seen on-screen, as its meticulous production design and striking cinematography were captured with a combination of 35mm and 8-perf VistaVision film, the latter of which was used for wide shots and landscapes. Not surprisingly, the end result yields outstanding image detail with very fine grain and excellent depth in ideal lighting conditions. And "ideal lighting conditions" isn't what you might think here, as the time period depicted in "Wuthering Heights" is obviously pre-electricity with only natural light and occasional oil lamps doing the primary lifting here. This often leads to small patches of light and huge swaths of shadow, whether it's a dim indoor location or outdoors in any one of the film's many rainstorms and foggy days, but the good news is that Warner Bros.' 2160p / HDR10 / Dolby Vision transfer is fully up to the challenge of rendered a faithful visual presentation.

Fine detail and contrast are as dialed-in as expected, with color representation leaving a huge impression due to the production team's careful choice of specific palettes in regards to paint, fabric, decorations, and other items to heighten the mood and tone in dramatic fashion. Framed at its original ratio of 1.85:1, this the kind of atmospheric picture that immediately holds your attention from start to finish and the 4K disc -- triple-layered, of course -- is thankfully encoded at a supportive bit rate, one that varies greatly depending on the scene but never wavers in its precision. Overall, this is a drop-dead gorgeous presentation of "Wuthering Heights" and one that fans will be happy to own.

"Wuthering Heights" 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As expected, WB's full-bodied Dolby Atmos mix packs a wallop and aims to be just as atmospheric as the visuals. Weather and music play a key role here, with both frequent storms and heavy winds enjoying a strong presence via discrete channel penning, while the original score by composer Anthony Willis and additional songs by British artist Charli XCX provide their own brand of reinforcement. Dialogue is always clear and intelligible, no matter the regional accent, and background effects are rendered with precision to smoothly tie together the film's consistently immersive soundscape. Not surprisingly, Atmos' exclusive height channels are employed at key moments, but this mix can also be greatly enjoyed as a folded-down Dolby TrueHD 7.1 presentation (or further still) for those with more traditional audio setups. In any form, this is a terrific effort that, like the video, has been rendered perfectly here.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the film and three featurettes below. A Descriptive Audio track is also on board, which I have not listened to but is probably pretty hilarious in spots.

"Wuthering Heights" 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with stark poster-themed cover art and a matching matte-finish slipcover. No Steelbook this time, though. The extras are thin on paper but highlighted by a director's commentary.

• Audio Commentary - Screenwriter/director Emerald Fennell offers a scene-specific commentary that's well-organized and covers quite a bit of ground, even with a few lengthy lapses into silence. Topics of interest (many of which are not covered in subsequent extras) including the main titles and other handmade details, supporting cast/crew shout-outs including several returning from her earlier films, Charli XCX's musical contributions, fake vomit, balancing real and surreal elements, background details you may have missed, filming locations, the films that influenced her, recurring visual themes and colors, and more. Like the other extras, this is a thoughtful and well-crafted effort that may win over audiences stuck on the fence after their first viewing.

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes - A trio of short but nicely-produced pieces that include comments from costume designer Jacqueline Durran, director Emerald Fennell, producer/actor Margot Robbie; actors Jacob Alordi, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, and Hong Chau; production designer Susie Davies, and more.

• Threads of Desire (6:51) - A look at the varied costume designs and fabrics, many of which represent eras that lie outside the film's intended time period, and how they relate to the characters.
• The Legacy of Love and Madness (5:32) - Several of the former participants return to share their thoughts about Emily Brontë's novel and how this film transposes some of its main themes into a different story... or, as director Emerald Fennell efficiently puts it, "more of a sister than a twin."
• Building a Fever Dream (12:09) - Fennell, Robbie, and others focus on production design (complete with a few brief set tours) and explain their shared desire to draw audiences into a unique and stylized world while challenging and potentially disturbing them. Mission accomplished.

"Wuthering Heights" 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Countless adaptations of Emily Brontë's only novel Wuthering Heights (which she wrote under the male pseudonym "Ellis Bell") have been made, so I think it's great that Emerald Fennell's new adaptation takes the story in a different direction. Some will obviously object, but I found this to be a visually ambitious and interesting take on the material that Brontë herself might have appreciated. Warner Bros. offers the film as separate 4K and Blu-ray releases, and both do their jobs with proportionately great A/V merits (the UHD obviously coming out ahead) and extras that, while small in number, are all interesting and add to the experience. Highly Recommended to the right crowd.