Bob Marley One Love review

We have been getting a lot of biopics these last few years and I do think that Bob Marley One Love is one of the better ones.

I liked it, but a part of me wishes I loved it. I grew up in a house where we constantly listened to Bob Marley and the Wailers.  The film feels like it’s missing some important elements from Bob’s life, but I don’t want to add spoilers to the review. I just know I wanted more.

That being said, I do feel like the film does an excellent job in portraying these characters. Kingsley Ben-Adir disappears into the role of Marley. I don’t know if he did the singing as well, but it sounded great. Lashana Lynch delivers a brilliant performance as Rita Marley. Every time she was on screen I was focused and mesmerised.

This might sound weird, but I wish the film was more of a musical. I get why they chose to focus more on Marley’s life and part of his activism, but I would’ve loved to hear more music. Bob Marley was a pioneer of reggae music and I wanted to see more of that.

I just have to add that the wig they used on Kingsley was a little distracting, especially during the first few scenes. Other than that I appreciate the production and costume design, it really takes you to 1970s Jamaica and London.

Bob Marley’s life is intriguing and heroic at times. The film is a beautiful telling of the life of a musical genius and peace activist. Like I said, I grew up with his music, so getting to experience that in the movie felt surreal. There’s just so much beauty and love in reggae music.

This is one of those films that I wouldn’t mind watching again, despite its flaws. It still reflects the real life of Bob Marley and it is entertaining. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green obviously loves Marley just as much as the audience. So do yourself a favour and go watch Bob Marley One Love in theatres, even if you don’t know much about Bob.

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