The King of Reggae and the King of Weed, Bob Marley was one of the most influential artists of all time, and it’s about time they created a movie honoring his motivational life and way of thinking. The anticipation of this movie has been building among my friends and I for the last three months since the first announcement of the movie’s release. On the twenty minute drive to the Terrace Theater on James Island, I had a calming and rhythmic time listening to some of the greatest hits of the fallen artist. It was fitting that the movie had a release date of February 14th, Valentines Day, because I fell in love. A few days prior to the time I watched the movie, I had heard disappointing reviews from both TikTok, as well as reviews from my friends who had already seen the movie. This movie has already cemented its place within my personal Mount Rushmore of movies, along with Good Will Hunting, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Pursuit of Happyness, Interstellar and Guess Who. This movie was not quite what I was expecting from the movie, but that made it all the better. I expected a stereotypical gradual progression of the life and sudden rise of fame of Bob Marley; however, the directors were able to take a different approach to telling the story of one of the true greats. 

The cinematography and portrayal of his views and efforts towards ending the civil war in Jamaica was truly moving. Seeing the effort that went into perfectly crafting performances that would unite the two divided political parties to stop the violence that was killing the strength of Jamaica on a global scale. The acting provided by Kingsley Ben-Adir, the actor who played Bob Marley, was truly outstanding as Kingsley perfected his mannerisms, playing the role to a tee. His ability to reenact his obscure and sporadic movements on stage, based on all the real videos of Bob Marley performing that I have seen, was uncanny. It was amazing to see the process by which Bob Marley and Wailers produced their inspirational and influential music, and made the reggae found in Jamaica, popular and widely on the global stage of music. The movie was not afraid to portray how the fame he found in Europe and the United States impacted his focus and view of the purpose of his art, and what brought him back to his roots and intended purpose with creating the music of his people of Jamaica. 

Not only did this film provide us with a great visual performance, it provided me with additional Bob Marley songs that I was not previously familiar with. The soundtrack consisted of songs produced throughout various times in Bob Marley’s life, not just those of his later life that most are familiar with.

Favorite Songs of the movie:

1. I Shot The Sheriff

2. Jamming

3. Redemption Song

4. Turn Your Lights Down Low

My company and food paired with the fantastic movie made this outing an amazing experience, except for the fact that my bag of popcorn cost $10. I know what I am getting myself into every time I go to the movie theater, but I remain dumbfounded every single time I fork over the $10 for lukewarm popcorn. Overall, I loved Bob Marley: One Love (2024).