Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.
You know, I think watching movies based on true stories is now including a new elements in a pattern since I’ve watched some movies out there, it particular, movies based on real life musicians or even the bands. We had Bohemian Rhapsody with Queen, Rocketman with Elton John and Elvis with… Well, Elvis Presley. Though there are few others out there were existed that I miss like either “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”, which is exclusive on Roku, until its available either physical or digitally, or going back further, we have The Doors in 1991 and few others out there if I miss something. But in today’s review, looks like we’re going down with one of the most important figure in both Jamaica and music industry, Bob Marley.
“Bob Marley: One Love” is a 2024 Biographical musical drama movie that was written/directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, produced by Robert Teitel, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley, Cedella Marley and Brad Pitt (Wait What?! Brad Pitt?!) and co-written by Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin.
The idea of the movie came from the Marley family, Bob’s son named Ziggy Marley stepped in to be involved with Paramount Pictures, since they announced for their movie take on the life of Bob Marley. Of course, it wasn't just Ziggy to be involved from the project, but also his family members like his sister Cedella and his mother Rita. Which is pretty fascinating that most movies are either the directors, the producers, the writers or even the studio. But here, it wasn’t just the latter, but also Marley family want to be involve from this project, which is pretty both good and again, fascinating, to either a family member or the bands themselves to be on the project, depending for the execution.
So, with all that said, will this movie follow nicely for the peace and love the late Bob Marley, or is One Love isn’t the rightful way to describing this movie?
Well, lets find out.
The Story
For a movie about Bob Marley’s message of peace, you think the story would make a promising history what we like to see for the whole life and band? Well, not as much…
It begins via text message about while Bob Marley was starting to forming their band for the journey in Jamaica, there one problem they’ve heard, its the political conflict in Jamaica between the Labor and People’s National, which the conflict will causing a concerning friction, including when Bob, his sister Rita and his band mates got shot from assassination attempt, but they’re somehow survived after being hospitalized, they went ahead for their concert, along with Bob showing his bullet wounds to sharing his fear that he doesn’t wanna be murdered again. Its up to Bob Marley to having a concert trip for the path of peace.
Yeah, the story itself is more focus on the rise of Bob Marley’s success and the path of peace in the later 70s, that’s a fine story that we all know I guess, but my biggest problem of the movie’s story is that the writing is just way too simple that its only gearing towards the rising reggae and Bob’s success and peace, making the story of his movie feels like it has a lack of substance, I like to see the origin of where did Bob became a musician star and his creation of his band “Bob Marley and The Wailers”, which it would’ve been nice to learn where did they begin, until we get the rising popularity of reggae and the peaceful message. But instead, the movie is focusing on the later year from the struggling life of Bob and his band-mates during their tour in Europe, it feels like they wanted to make easy what we like to see, but it feels like its too simple, too safe and lackluster for the movie’s core.
While its nice to see a movie’s dramatization of popularity of reggae and the path of peace, but movie’s writing is so lacking what we want more to learning than skipping all the way to the late 70s.
The Presentation
The movie’s budget costs $70M and despite the lacking, I think the movie’s presentation is… Fairly descent.
For starter, the location are pretty nice to filming, they’re basically filming on both London, England to Marley’s homeland, Jamaica. Especially with Jamaica, this place, while it may not look big and expensive town as either London or others, but it looks pretty nice and beautiful place, almost like we want to be in vacation and playing reggae music with Jamaicans to jammin’.
Even though the movie is pretty low, but the presentation of the quality and cinematography is actually pretty good looking. And even the music stage is also pretty nice, as they’re trying to following up from the actual stage.
Speaking of stage, the easiest highlight of the movie is the music, the music in the movie that they brought is also pretty nice to give listeners (myself included) a shot to listening Bob Marley’s classic songs from fun reggae music to music with a message of peace.
However, one nitpick I have is the overusing flashback of young Bob Marley running away from the fire before Bob is on stage. I know it was meant to clearing his stress before get on stage to play the music, I understand that even with a rare stage fright, we have confident to play the music for the crowd, but what’s with the repetitive flashback scenes?
While there’s not much else to say, since this is a not-so low budget movie, but at least it looks pretty good to look and listening at.
The Characters
Because of its oversimplified and lackluster writing, and I hate to say, it makes the characters also felt lacking, for the most parts.
Lets starts of our titular protagonist Bob Marley (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir), the band leader of his group, he was once a promising band leader for not just focusing his music career since the 70s but also his build up of his family. But the downside is that due to the conflict of his homeland, it seems that he’s trying to find the path of peace for his musical career in order to impressing his group and his family. I find the movie version of Bob Marley is rather nice, I know he's the main focus, since again, he’s on his path to find the way to give a peaceful message based on his homeland’s conflict. He’s a band leader with a struggling situation with a mix of the aforementioned and a near death assassination moment that he wants peace and love, which makes him understandable and I think Kingsley did a nice work of his role for his performance and his Jamaican Patois accent, sure his voice may or may not matching from the actual voice of Bob Marley, but still, he did a nice work of his role.
Next up is Rita Marley (played by Lashana Lynch), she’s Bob’s wife and band-mate of the group and part of family, however, she’s also been aware that due to conflict, she’s concern for Bob’s plan for a concert tour to Europe that might’ve separating from him and the homeland if the finding the path of peace isn’t going on the way. I find her another nice movie version of Rita, she’s more of a typical plot warning when it comes to going outside of Jamaica. But, il probably give an appreciation for Lashana’s performance.
Finally, there’s Chris Blackwell (played by James Norton), he’s the record producer of Bob Marley and The Wailers, and quite possibly the one man who gave the revolutionary of reggae genre. In this movie, he wouldn’t be until he was introduced in the 2nd act when he first meets Bob Marley and The Wailers for the record deal following Bob Marley’s success of Exodus. I find him to be passable at best, and Norton did a descent role.
As for the rest of the casts, they’re aren’t much else to say, there’s Tyrone Downie (played by Tosin Cole) who’s the pianist of The Wailers, and Aston Barrett aka Family Man (played by surprisingly, the son Aston Barrett Jr.) who’s the backing member of The Wailers, pretty amazing to having his son playing as his father (like father like son).
The characters in this movie are pretty minimal for their unique development due to the lackluster writing, but at least the casting are good for their performance.
And now for my final opinion of this movie.
Overall, Bob Marley: One Love is a pretty average movie that it just came off as way too simple.
The story and the message is nice, the presentation looks well done and the acting are pretty nice for their performance and their Jamaican Patois accent are nice too.
But the movie felt soo lacking from beginning to end that the movie’s writing is only focusing on the build up rising of reggae genre, the struggling life of Bob Marley and the path of peace, and that’s about it for a 1 hour and 40 minutes. Which is something that I would love to see the early life and the formation band of The Wailers. I get the Marley family are trying for being involved of the projects, but its just the execution could’ve gone better, no offense for the Marley family, since I understand they want to be in a passion project of dramatization of Bob Marley.
I don’t think Il recommend this movie how average it is based on the lackluster writing. But im sure this movie is definitely for the fans of Bob Marley and the fans of reggae to watch, but for me, I thought it will be promising, but then… It felt flat pretty quickly.
For my rating, im gonna give this one a 4.5/10.
So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.
Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.
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