Jamaican artist Bob Marley was a cultural icon in the 1970s whose music and message brought people together by advocating for world peace. Bob Marley: One Love, the latter half of the title coming from one of his most popular songs, tells the story of Marley overcoming adversity and his journey behind the revolutionary music he created.

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Rising Star Nominee Kingsley Ben-Air is unrecognizable as the reggae icon. He brings Bob Marley back to life throughout his performance, encapsulating the icon’s movements and speech patterns. Ziggy Marley heavily influenced his casting in this cinematic portrayal of his late father. He was also present on set to make sure the story remained authentic. 

The movie would be incomplete without BAFTA Rising Star Winner Lashana Lynch as Bob Marley’s wife and bandmate Rita Marley. Both Ben-Air and Lynch complement each other fabulously. However, the same cannot be said about the rest of the cast. Their characters, also based on real people, were hardly developed due to time constraints and the story’s focus on adapting Bob Marley’s final years. At times, the movie’s pacing felt cramped and disjointed. This rushed nature is evident in flashbacks to his earlier life. The film gives no explanation for these flashbacks and places them at random intervals, creating some confusion on the timeline and slowing down the movie. 

Another weakness was the lack of clearly developed conflict, which moviegoers likely expected to see. The film uses the “man versus self” conflict, however it tended to make the story feel like the plot was building towards something that never arrived. 

Despite these drawbacks, the film is amazingly put together. The cinematography and visuals demonstrate the beauty of each location and time period. Both aspects of character design transform the actors into the people they are portraying, a testament to the importance of costumes, hair, and makeup. The music of Bob Marley is also intertwined throughout, expertly connecting to the visuals and storytelling. 

People unaware of Bob Marley will find themselves needing to do a little research after their viewing to fully understand his life and his contributions to society. It can defeat the purpose of a Biopic, but depicting a person in such a short period of time to demonstrate everything they have accomplished is a near-impossible task to complete. Considering such, the film developed an interesting and dynamic movie despite such barriers. Bob Marley: One Love should be taken with a grain of salt as,  like all historical dramas, not everything is based on fact. 

The movie is worth a viewing and serves as a reminder to people – or introduces to some – of the inspirational person who was Bob Marley.