Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi play the adult versions of the famed star-crossed, ill-fated lovers. (BTW, the young version of Heathcliff is played by Owen Cooper, the lead in “Adolescence”) This attractive couple faces numerous odds in this version, thanks to writer/director Emerald Fennell (writer of “Saltburn” & “Promising Young Woman”). She’s taken liberties with the story and setting. Then entire film is dark, literally and figuratively. The clothes are brighter in the later “rich” scenes, but the tragic story has virtually no moments of joy. Instead, they have furtive heated sexual exchanges. Robbie suffers appropriately, while Elordi smolders in the early scenes before becoming dashing (and mumbles a lot). There are some attractive elements, including the cinematography and production design, but Fennell has indulged herself to the point of tedium. Some of the film is wonderful, but it bogs down more than it inspires. 
(2 / 5)
