Now that social media and the internet as a whole has taken over our culture, the pool of general knowledge (especially when it comes to celebrity) is so vast. I can understand if I come across someone who doesn\u2019t know a thing about Jimi Hendrix. That being said, I think the name Bob Marley still hits a note with anyone and everyone with a working conscience. Still, there is a lot about Marley that people may not know. But, does the new\u00a0 biopic <\/span>Bob Marley: One Love <\/b><\/a>do enough to bring justice to Marley\u2019s legacy?<\/span><\/p>\n Bob Marley: One Love <\/b>chooses to focus on the last few years of Marley\u2019s life, instead of telling a start to finish story. The film kicks off at the time Marley tried to unite the warring factions of Jamaica with a free concert. It documents the events right before the show to Marley\u2019s need to leave Jamaica after the show. How he aimed to improve on his musical legacy and what it could mean for the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a good jumping off point for the film. While we get flashbacks to his childhood and teen years that show how they shaped him, it is a preferable road to the traditional biopic formula. It\u2019s not a revolutionary evolution in storytelling. All the pieces fit nicely together and feel genuine. The pace is good and performances kick off just right. Then Bob decides to leave Jamaica and the tried and true biopic formula kicks in. In a tight and reasonable 104 minutes, <\/span>Bob Marley: One Love <\/b>treads some all too familiar presentation whilst peppering in a few good ideas that never properly develop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once he is in London, viewers are treated to the most cookie cutter exploration of the life of a musician. \u201cLet\u2019s show Bob trying to learn from his surroundings.\u201d \u201cNow show Bob coming up with the name for his new album.\u201d \u201cOh, show how Bob came up with a way to change his sound.\u201d \u201cIt’s time to show Bob releasing and touring his biggest hit ever.\u201d \u201ccan we show Bob being enticed by his fame growing even bigger?\u201d \u201cDon’t forget to show some rifts and how they heal.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s technically his life, and how the lives of other musicians go. But there has to be a better way to show these events than what has been done so many times before. The best thing the film does though is show you some of Bob\u2019s true influences in a breadcrumb like fashion. Yet, if you aren\u2019t aware of what these influences are, you might be completely lost on what the film is showing you. During a scene on their tour bus while in France, you can see Bob reading a book about Haile Selassie. It might have been Selassie\u2019s autobiography or a book about him. That part was hard to tell.<\/span><\/p>\n This works as a clever reference to the once Emperor of Ethiopia who Marley idolized. But later in the film, Marley starts to implant visions of Selassie to replace that of the memory his father. His father was a white British colonizer. Bob imagines himself running from the terrifying figure of his non-existent father through a burning wheat field. Later, that scene of horror and fear turns to one of glory and passion. Selassie now takes the place of the colonizer and becomes the liberator. But it is ill explained in terms of cinematic story telling. You need to know these facts for these scenes to fully make sense.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo by Chiabella James\/Chiabella James – \u00a9\u00a02023 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bob-Marley2.png\")
Photo by Chiabella James\/Chiabella James – \u00a9\u00a02023 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bob-Marley3.png\")
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