Bob Marley is one of the most iconic musicians of the Twentieth Century. His music echoes throughout the world bringing joy to all who listen. Bob Marley: One Love tells one of his many personal stories that shaped him, his family and the future of the country of Jamaica. Although I don’t listen to his type of music on a daily basis, I still enjoy it from time to time. I, myself, have traveled to Jamaica for vacation a couple times in the past and reggae music and Bob Marley are like a whole religion down there. This movie shows part of his legacy and why he means so much to the Jamaican people.
Bob Marley: One Love tells the story of Marley’s rise to fame from the mid-1970s until his death in the early 80s. The movie picks up and explains the political situation in Jamaica during this time. The movie then goes into a series of vignettes during and after this time. The main premise was that Bob Marley used music to unify the country. It also shows his time in other countries during his One Love tour.
Kingsley Ben-Adir plays the infamous musician, in which Ziggy Marley (Bob’s son) approves of. To me, I think Ben-Adir knocked it out of the park. Bob Marley has such a distinct voice and way of talking that I think he was the best choice. Lashana Lynch also stars in this movie as Marley’s wife Rita. This was a major positive for me for this film. Ben-Adir also actually sang every song and he did such an outstanding performance. If I closed my eyes and wasn’t in the theater watching the movie, I would have thought it was actually Bob Marley.
Another thing to note in Bob Marley: One Love was the sound and choreography. I was jamming in the theater every time a song started playing and the camera work was also great. It showed everyone involved in the band and didn’t solely focus on Ben-Adir while he was singing.
The biggest problem I had with this movie was in the writing and story. Throughout the whole film, I wasn’t exactly sure where we were in the timeline. It seemed way too jumbled and all over the place. Although the stories were told decently, it was hard to follow. I sort of wished they solely focused on one story such as just his tour time, or just his time during the political unrest. I would have rated this movie much higher if the story was consistent and I wasn’t confused halfway through the film. It seemed too rushed and the producers could have definitely expanded on certain aspects.
Final Thoughts:
I was slightly disappointed in this movie. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot going in but seeing how well all the actors performed and the decent cinematography. If you are even a slight fan of Bob Marley or reggae music, I do recommend seeing this movie. It was a feel-good film but severely lacked storytelling.
