The “Bob Marley One Love” movie was one of the best legacy movies ever. It was an inspirational movie about the sequence of Bob Marley’s life and his mission. He was a musical artist who mainly wrote reggae music about freedom.

The movie starts with Bob Marley’s son Ziggy, explaining what it took to make this movie and his willingness to go on set every day to make sure every part of his father’s legacy was covered with a keen eye on authenticity. This made us feel glad that he would be accurately represented for who he was.

We then get to see Bob at home with his wife Rita and some friends, giving the audience an insider’s peek into his inner life. He contemplates playing a peace concert in Jamaica to bring together both sides of Jamaica:  the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). Unfortunately, Bob is then shot along with his wife and his friend Don,  by assassins. It was a shocking scene to find out that this actually happened in real life. Everyone survives but he knows he has to do something about this so he decides to perform at the Smile Jamaica concert anyway, at the risk of another assassination attempt in hopes of reuniting the country. Such bravery it must have taken to make that decision! If you know anything about Bob’s past albums, you’ll be engulfed with nostalgia and emotions as songs from his past albums play throughout the movie.

 After he performs an inspirational concert for the people, he decides to fly to London to remove himself from a toxic scene on the island and completes his last album, aptly named  Exodus. Throughout the movie, Kingsley Ben-Adir does an amazing job acting as Bob Marley and you can understand that he was devoted to his role because he practiced for major amounts of time to learn patois (Jamaican slang). He even practiced the slang in secluded areas on the set of the “Barbie” movie which he had filmed before assuming the role. This goes to show the range he has as an actor! Bob then tours  Europe singing meaningful and popular songs, spreading the message of unity and universal love. As he poured his emotions out on stage it felt like I was attending a concert of his, because the movie was extremely detailed, and did a great job of capturing the charged energy of his shows. The backstage pass we got to his life on the road and the creativity and sacrifice that goes into a musician’s lifestyle, were thankfully included. After all of the shows in Europe Bob plans to perform shows in the United States. A problem arises when he realizes he has cancer in his foot. The gang leaders from the opposing parties of Jamaica approach him to perform another peace concert, which he agrees to do, thereby fulfilling a major accomplishment in having brought together some of the deadliest gangsters on the island in a gesture of togetherness.  It was very heartwarming to see such a positive message being spread around the world simply by music, and the passion held by one individual. Ultimately, the last shots of the movie show an uplifting scene of Bob with his kids singing a song he created called “One Love.” As he finishes the song the movie transitions to a memorial for Bob with videos and photos of Bob doing what he loves. This hits home for me because my Uncle’s bar was named One Love and he passed away a year before this movie debuted. 

Overall it was an amazingly beautiful movie filled with heartfelt moments that made the audience understand who Bob Marley was and his legacy. He touched so many lives from all around the world, as love is a universal concept, and he spoke out in favor of justice and equal rights for all. Many people moved to the Caribbean because of his music in an attempt to access the “One Love” feeling. He also touched the hearts of many more and had a huge impact on the music industry with reggae as a musical art form. It is important to know that throughout the 1 hour and 47 minute run time, the whole movie is spoken in patois so if you can’t understand it then it may be difficult for you to keep track of everything that is going on. Also, if you didn’t grow up listening to Bob’s music you won’t have as big of a nostalgic connection with the movie so keep that in mind. Other than that it was an amazing well-written movie so go watch it in theaters today.

At a Glance

• “Bob Marley One Love” The Movie                      
• Genre: Musical, Documentary, Drama
• Rating: 4.5/5 stars
• PG-13