All the Love for One Love
After growing up listening to his music, I was absolutely thrilled to hear that Bob Marley was going to hit the big screen. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green (he/him) adapted a film based on Marley’s life that traces of journey of how he became the king of reggae music worldwide. If I were to end the review here, all I would say is that you have to see it, but let’s get into why Bob Marley: One Love was so good.
The movie itself focused on the time period in the 1970’s in which Bob Marley gained international popularity. In the midst of this, Jamaica was experiencing serious political unrest, with polarizing political groups that often turned to violence. Marley wanted to reunite Jamaica with his One Love concert, which was especially driven through his faith in Rastafari, a movement of love and peace.
Being able to see the chronological events from the political turmoil, to his growing popularity, all the way to returning to Jamaica to reunite the people before his tragic death in 1981 was so powerful. There is a level of authenticity that viewers were able to witness about Bob Marley that, at least for me personally, made my admiration for his actions even stronger.
You can’t talk about Bob Marley without talking about his music. Marley’s music, reggae, fused with ideas of love, peace, and unity, has been rightfully deemed to be the peak of its kind. It was such a cool experience getting to see Bob Marley and The Wailers perform so many hits, whether it was on stage or in Marley’s home. In addition to hearing fantastic songs such as “Get Up, Stand Up” and “I Shot The Sheriff,” viewers also got to hear and see the production of their album Exodus, which was the album that helped the group soar.
The casting of this film was phenomenal. The way Kingsley Ben-Adir (he/him) embodied Bob Marley was insane. Whether it was the passion in the dance and song of his musical performance or the way his words flowed with inspiration, it was truly amazing for life-long fans of Bob Marley to see him come back to life in such an authentic way. I think that the entire cast deserves a standing ovation, but I definitely want to shout out Lashana Lynch (she/her) for an absolutely outstanding performance as Rita Marley.
Whether you have listened to his music for years or this review has sparked interest for you at all, you need to go see this movie. This biopic is definitely one of the best there is for music artists, so run, don’t walk, to the nearest theater.
