Emerald Fennell's somewhat singular vision for this version of the classic novel - and it is certainly 'inspired by' rather than a straightforward adaptation - is frequently tiresome, from its irritating and wayward music score (including its whiny sub-Enya Charli XCX interludes) to the over-obvious modern use of camera and editing flourishes. Sex and violence/death are awkwardly and inextricably linked from the very start, and the film flits between grim realism and jarringly heightened artificiality. Margot Robbie plays the rather self-serving Cathy wringing everything she can from every single line, and Jacob Elordi's more thoughtful take on Heathcliff sometimes works well, although neither seems a particularly good fit here, but Hong Chau does nice work as Cathy's constant companion Nelly. The film works best when Robbie and Elordi interact in the quieter moments, but these are juxtaposed with scenes delivered as screeching hysteria or painful melodrama. Overall, this is a potentially interesting but overwrought and inconsistent film that drags and is ultimately disappointing.
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