Every generation has a musician that "speaks" to them and rallies the people to action. Often, these figures are polarizing individuals who create chaos wherever they go. In the late 1970s, Reggae music and the Rastafarian movement took center stage when musician Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir; Secret Invasion) came onto the scene amidst a civil war in his home country of Jamaica. With violence erupting everywhere on the Caribbean Island, Marley created songs about love, peace, injustice, and the strength of the people. Bob Marley: One Love chronicles the years between his being shot and the making and release of his album, Exodus. It is now available for purchase on 4K and digital.
Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in St. Ann's Parish, Jamaica to a white father and an Afro-Jamaican mother. Receiving little support from Marley's father, his mother moved them to Trenchtown when Marley was 10 years old. From a young age, Marley knew he wanted to be a musician and had a recording contract by the time he was 18 years old.
In 1976 with growing political unrest in Jamaica, Marley agreed to perform at a concert called Smile Jamaica which was organized by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley. Two days before the event, Marley, his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch; Captain Marvel), and his tour Manager Don Taylor (Anthony Welsh; The Flatshare), were shot. Many believe the shooting was motivation to stop what some say was the politically driven concert. Despite being injured, both Bob and Rita played the concert anyway.
Once the concert was over, Marley went to England to live and record a new album. There he collaborated with his band, the Wailers, to create Exodus which spawned 4 hits in the United Kingdom and is considered to be one of his best albums of all time...arguably his best. It was also in England where, at the age of 32, he was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma. His refusal to have his toe amputated ultimately caused the cancer to spread leading to his death four years later.
The HDR10 video with 2160p resolution is very detailed and clean as far as the picture quality is concerned. Some moments seem a little "foggy' until you realize it is merely a smoky haze filling the room (usually the studio) that leaves everything else looking slightly dull and gloomy. Even though much of the color palette is muted, there are scenes and clothing that "pop" as examples of excellent color saturation.
Of course, with a movie like this one, the audio is extremely important and the Dolby Atmos is perfect at showcasing Marley's songs. The bass and drum beats found in much of his music are felt as much as heard while the layered vocals are rich and well-balanced. The soundtrack is as good as an album of Marley's that one might put on their record player and listen to.
The 4K disc houses approximately one hour of extras including: Becoming Bob Marley, The Story: Bringing Bob Marley's Story to Life, The Cast, On Location: Jamaica and England, The Band, and 8 Extended and Deleted Scenes.
Bob Marley was a larger-than-life figure while he was alive who has become a musical icon since his passing. His music, while entertaining, brought a deeper message of love and peace that has endured for the four-plus decades after his death.
While the film covers a short span of his life, the movie doesn't quite capture the man's essence or the legacy he left behind. Ben-Adir does a very good job portraying the musical genius but one of the things the movie punctuates is that no one can replace Bob Marley.
Grade: B
