By Sienna Thompson, Film and TV Social Media Editor
Leading the musical biopic genre of 2024, Bob Marley: One Love depicts the life and musical career of reggae sensation Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) as he attempts to unite a politically conflicted Jamaica through the peace and love illustrated in his songs.
I appreciated the context via the montage that portrayed the civil conflict in Jamaica after independence was obtained. This showed how important it was to unite the people and why Marley was so passionate about creating new music for his peace concerts.
Ben-Adir gave a phenomenal performance as Marley truly became absorbed into the role, giving an authentic representation of a well-loved figure for many. His mannerisms and body language mirrored many videos seen of Marley and aided in scenes where the Jamaican accent can become difficult to understand if not familiar with it.
Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley embraced this complex role effortlessly. Her role is clear as she becomes Marley’s guiding star through times of difficulty and frustration as Bob Marley and The Wailers gained more fame. However, there was a substantial lack of chemistry between the couple, not to mention the hard-hitting scenes and heated arguments.
Musically and visually this film is gorgeous, but I fear this is what it has become reliant upon. Despite the precipice having copious amounts of potential, it didn’t feel as if they scratched the surface of Marley and his life. His true image has amazing energy through life and death, but in the film, a clear and coherent narrative is lost.
The structural narrative was jarring to say the least. Having flashbacks dotted infrequently can achieve emotional impacts on the audiences as we see fragments of the characters’ lives being reminisced at crucial moments. However, for this film, it felt confusing and slightly off-putting. It would have benefitted from having a more linear structure like other biopics. His childhood felt ambiguous. Whilst having advantages for certain cinematic pieces, it did not do so here, and instead left me with more questions than answers.
This film seems more appealing to the die-hard music fans of Marley than those hoping to be educated more on his life and career, such as myself. Without his music, it is a wonder what this film is trying to convey. The portrayal of Marley feels two-dimensional. As the main biopic for Bob Marley (with the only other film being found footage), this feels like a weak portrayal of a great artist’s life.
For modern cinema, the first biopic about a significant figure/moment is enough to grab the attention of anyone willing to learn more about it. This can be seen in films like Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) or Rocketman (2019). Unfortunately, something was missing in this film to continue that attention until the roll credits, resulting in a missed opportunity.
Will you be watching Bob Marley: One Love?
