The songs of Bob Marley are monumental and loaded with appreciation for life. Marley’s mission was to shine with empathy and build better relationships in a harsh political era. His music and his life brightened the world with positivity, happiness and peace. The new film about him, Bob Marley: One Love, almost hits the mark, although the storyline is rushed at times and its writing sometimes heads in a misconstrued direction. The film sets out to lay the foundations of Bob Marley’s life, and the writing finds some wonderful moments but, again, the direction of the film can be hard to follow. The music shines throughout, however, and is easily the best part of the film.
The man who plays Bob Marley is Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Bob’s widow, Rita Marley, is played by LaShana Lynch. The film is a biopic of Bob Marley’s journey as a person, a musician, and as one who fought through adversity. It starts off in his hometown in Jamaica, and it then goes to his music and the connections he made in the music industry. The film also jumps back to moments showing how courageous and empathetic he could be. Marley’s music and his voice always helped people think about the positives in their lives.
The plot of Bob Marley: One Love is captivating and it will go deep into the hearts of its audience. There is a divine feeling of empathy that flows graciously and poetically through the life of Marley. The writing of the film jumps back and forth—to times of hardship, inspirational moments, and the many joyful times of the music of Bob Marley. When it comes to the relationships he has with his assistants, Chris Blackwell (played by James Norton) and Don Taylor (played by Anthony Walsh), Bob Marley: One Love encourages its audience to shift its emotions and to think of the words, “Every little thing is gonna be alright,” from one of Marley’s most well known songs, “Three Little Birds”.
The story as a whole and the music in particular are very captivating in Bob Marley: One Love. Marley fought through a lot of adversity, and the film often cycles back to the conflicts he had with his assistants, the crew members of his tour, etc. The success of his album Exodus also played a prominent role in the film. But throughout the film the musical tunes kept the positive feelings and empathy going.
I would describe the viewing experience of Bob Marley: One Love as somewhat standard. There wasn’t a strong biopic writing form in the film, and some moments felt rushed to me. But I still felt that my heart was touched by the fascinating aspects of Bob Marley’s legendary musical career, and the film keeps to its point of showing Marley as the positive force for the world that he was. And again, the film is worth it just to revisit the magical musical moments, and to help remind us to be truly grateful for life. Three out of four stars for Bob Marley: One Love.
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