Wuthering Heights premiere: critics praise Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s chemistry

First reactions are in for Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Wuthering Heights after the movie’s premiere in LA on January 28, and early responses are overwhelmingly positive, praising the film’s visuals, craftsmanship and the chemistry between its two leads.

Fennell’s follow-up to 2023’s Saltburn is described as “inspired” by Emily Brontë’s 19th-century novel and stars Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as doomed lovers Heathcliff and Cathy. The cast also includes Hong Chau, Alison Oliver, Ewen Mitchell and Owen Cooper.

Variety’s Jazz Tangcay wrote, “Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is a scorching hot and twisted tale.” Tangcay singled out Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s on-screen connection, calling their “chemistry and sexual tension” exceptionally intense.

The review praised Fennell’s reinvention of the classic, saying, “Only Emerald could take a classic, turn it on its head, make you fall completely in lust, and then utterly destroy your soul. An exquisite spectacle of craftsmanship that left me salivating over the costumes, cinematography and production design. Obsessively in love with it.”

These are the first reactions following the LA premiere on January 28; broader critical and audience responses beyond the premiere have yet to be seen.

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