Movie Review: Bob Marley: One Love

DISCLAIMER: This Article Contains Spoilers

This past Valentine’s Day, a new movie came out that told the story of reggae singer and activist Bob Marley. The movie, titled Bob Marley: One Love, was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. Wholesomely, it was produced by two of Marley’s children and his wife: Ziggy, Cedella, and Rita Marley.
The story begins almost in the middle of Bob’s (Kingsley Ben-Adir) career, when he is already famous in Jamaica, and follows the last five years of his life, which is between 1976 and 1981. It depicts the creation of Marley’s album Exodus and his European world tour. Another strong point in the movie are the political disputes in Jamaica, which result in Marley’s peace concerts, and attempts on Marley’s life.
While the movie is in English, the movie uses strong Jamaican accents and slang, making it harder to understand without subtitles. The accents contribute to the authenticity and character of the film. However, it may be hard to watch mindlessly.
As a result of the movie beginning when Bob Marley has already reached his peak, there is no character development or typical rag-to-riches story, leaving viewers slightly disappointed and dissatisfied with the overall story. Additionally, after the argument between Bob and Rita, there is little resolution. Instead, all he does is sing a song, and then the movie just continues on like nothing happened. The scene where young Marley is standing in a field surrounded by fire was repeatedly shown throughout the movie and seemed repetitive. Although that shot has plenty of meaning, it could have been shown once and have roughly the same effect.
Despite its problems, the movie is intriguing and the music makes for an enjoyable experience. The overarching theme portrayed makes the movie definitely worth your time and we recommend watching it. Its problems, while there are lots of them, still do not make it an inadequate movie.