By John Corrado

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), Bob Marley: One Love is a biopic of iconic reggae artist Bob Marley that features a dedicated performance by Kingsley Ben-Adir, but is otherwise a mixed bag.

Ben-Adir, who masterfully portrayed civil rights leader Malcolm X in One Night in Miami, now takes on the role of Marley, and his dedication to the role comes through in his portrayal.

The film begins in 1976, right as the island of Jamaica is experiencing waves of violence leading up to a contentious presidential election. Marley is planning his Smile Jamaica peace concert to bring the nation together through music, but faces an assassination attempt against him and his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) in the lead up to it.

The film documents Marley’s time living in exile in England following the concert, where he wrote and recorded his album Exodus. The moments showing Marley and his band The Wailers in the recording studio and coming up with compositions for the album (inspired by the soundtrack for the 1960 film Exodus) are also some of the most enjoyable moments in the film.

The biggest detriment to Bob Marley: One Love is that it feels like your standard issue biopic, following all of the usual structural beats of the genre. It’s a purely surface level portrait of Marley’s life and career, that never goes particularly deep into him, and feels more like an overview. The pacing is somewhat uneven, and the film also feels rushed at 107 minutes.

But Ben-Adir delivers a good performance in a role that was always going to be daunting for anyone to pull off. We can tell that he really did his work to get Marley’s voice and mannerisms right, even doing some of his own singing. Robert Elswit’s cinematography is also a cut above the material (and looks excellent in 4K). The film itself can feel glossy and manipulative, but there are some entertaining and affecting moments, and Marley’s music on the soundtrack carries it through.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The 4K disc boasts over fifty minutes of bonus features, including five featurettes and a selection of deleted scenes. A code for a digital copy is also included in the package, which ships with a standard slipcover.

• Becoming Bob Marley (7 minutes, 28 seconds): Ben-Adir talks about his commitment to the role, from working with a dialect coach to learn patois and copy Marley’s specific speech patterns, to capturing his movements.

• The Story: Bringing Bob Marley’s Story to Life (7 minutes, 25 seconds): Marley’s children weigh in on telling their father’s story, while Green talks about working with the family.

• The Cast (9 minutes, 49 seconds): A look at how Ben-Adir went deep into character, with Lynch talking about spending time with the real Rita Marley in order to accurately portray her.

• On Location: Jamaica and England (8 minutes, 27 seconds): A look at filming on location in England and Jamaica, including at some of the real places Marley inhabited.

• The Band (9 minutes, 50 seconds): A look at the real musicians portraying the band members in the film, who worked in consultation with members of The Wailers.

• Extended and Deleted Scenes (Play All – 10 minutes, 23 seconds)

• Reading the Bible – Deleted (37 seconds)

• Hope Road Interview – Deleted (58 seconds)

• Cemetery – Deleted (1 minute, 19 seconds)

• Leaving Delaware – Deleted (1 minute, 23 seconds)

• Ganja is a Bird – Deleted (59 seconds)

• Meet Mick Jagger – Deleted (18 seconds)

• Wailers Breakup – Deleted (2 minutes, 36 seconds)

• Interview with Bob – Extended (2 minutes, 10 seconds)

Bob Marley: One Love is a Paramount Home Entertainment release. It’s 107 minutes and rated PG.

Street Date: May 28th, 2024