Bob Marley: One Love review by Bobby Blakey
There are many musicians that have done more for the world with their music than just selling albums. Music can transcend barriers and truly lift people up or bring them down. It’s always interesting to learn more about their lives and careers when films are made about them if it is done well to capture the true essence of not just their music put the person and soul behind it. The latest getting brough to the big screen is Bob Marley: One Love starring Lashana Lynch, James Morton, Tosin Cole and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley himself with King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green at the helm. Could this film do this music icon’s legacy justice, or will it fail to find the love it needs?
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Bob Marley: One Love follows the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music.
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Heading into this I assumed it was going to be the life and career story of Marley, but it’s something much more. The story is a specific time in his career closer to the end as he is embarking on a concert trying to bring the Jamaican government together all while starting to blow up even bigger as an artist. It is crafted in a unique way that often times flashes back to various times in his childhood, most notably in the building of the relationship with his wife. This takes the film on a journey of music, peace, self-discovery and the loving bond between two people.
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It’s an interesting way to tell the story and allows it to waste not time getting
right to the point and is fantastic. The story is compelling in all facets and the music is inspiring in every frame and performance. It is interesting seeing the ups and downs behind the music and the truth to what he really wanted his message to be and the things he fought through to make it heard. Some good, some bad but all important to the journey of his voice, icon and husband. It is a story just as much about his wife Rita as she is not only his partner in life, but one of the back-up singers in the Wailers. It’s this fusion that helps the film to be more than just his story and a necessity to really understand who he was and how he did what he did.
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The performances were all fantastic with both Ben-Adir and Lynch leading the charge. They both go all in physically and emotionally, bringing everything to their roles and it explodes off screen. The biggest concern is the accents because Marley and the Rastafarians have a very specific way to speak and if it doesn’t come across as genuine it just won’t work. My lord they all put in the work and was hard to tell the real from the fake Jamaicans. Sometimes the way they speak will be hard for some to understand, but if you just focus and listen to the dialect it isn’t that hard to figure out.
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I loved this movie and was moved by every aspect. I wasn’t sure it would be able to do this man and his music justice, but it does just that. It doesn’t water down the story and shines a light on the good and bad of his life that makes it more relatable and honest. I applaud Ziggy Marley’s involvement because there is an authenticity to the film and the performances that I don’t think they would have found without him there.
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You do not have to know Jamaican music or even like anything Marley did, but you can’t argue his importance. This film serves as not only a great tale of his legacy, but also the importance of what he did and how it is still impacting the world today despite his life being so short. Whether you like his music or not this is a film I hope finds is voice and audience to shine the light on his vision and word to the world in peace.
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In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including extended & deleted scenes, featurettes and more. Step onto the stage to witness history when Bob Marley: One Love available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on May 28th from Paramount Home Entertainment.
