HBO Max just announced the streaming date for one of the biggest movies of the year so far, and it's way sooner than you might have assumed. Wuthering Heights will hit the service on 1 May, meaning those with access will be able to enjoy director Emerald Fennell's sexed-up version of a classic tale in just a few days' time.
It's a fascinating movie to dissect, and one that divided critics into camps more than many major releases, thanks to a slightly profane approach to adapting a story that's been put on film many times before. For my part, I'm not even going to pretend – I quite enjoyed the actual experience of watching the movie, but I don't think it holds up to any scrutiny at all, and won't stand the test of time.
Fennell, who already has an Oscar to her name from her first movie, Promising Young Woman, saw her star really rise with Saltburn a few years ago, and by casting megastar Margot Robbie and hot young thing Jacob Elordi, she ensured that her Wuthering Heights would grab attention.
Then, she doubled down by happily proclaiming it to be a loose adaptation based on her experience of reading Brontë's novel as a 14-year-old, and all but promised the sexiest and raunchiest version of the story yet made.
Well, the film came out in February, and you can probably tell most of what you need to know about its critical reception by checking its Metacritic page – an average review score of 55/100 shows just how varied the takes were. Some people loved the clarity of its focus on obsessive love, and its striking sets and costume design.
Others, though, found issue (rightly, in my mind) with its drastic simplification of a story set in the real world, and its smoothing over of key details around class and race. Fennell's becoming one of those 'love or hate' directors, which certainly means that her movies are worth seeing if you want conversational fodder.
I found myself unable to stop asking whether people had seen it, partly as a test to see if they agreed that it wasn't great, but partly because so many people did surprise me by saying they really enjoyed it.
All of this underlines the fact that anyone with access to HBO Max would be well-served by checking out Wuthering Heights when it arrives at the end of the week. Few movies have ever got me talking like this one, and it's a lightning rod for interesting discussions post-film.
