DVD Corner

Bob Marley: One Love 4K UHD Steelbook Review

Kingsley Ben-Adir elevates “Bob Marley: One Love.”  

Rather than chronicling his entire life (although there are flashbacks), “Bob Marley: One Love” begins in 1976 with Bob Marley opting to play a concert dubbed Smile Jamaica amid a Jamaican civil war. Before the concert is set to take place, Bob, his wife and other bandmates are shot. Everyone manages to survive and perform still, but Bob decides to leave his native country and head to London where he begins work on his most celebrated album “Exodus.” Although the album is a smash hit, Bob’s life becomes challenging. His marriage with Rita is struggling, he’s about to embark on a major tour, and develops a skin cancer which would tragically claim his life in 1981. Before his death though, he patches things up with his wife and returns to Jamaica and puts on the One Love Peace concert.

Biopics on musicians have become so commonplace these days, but it’s rather baffling that the greatest reggae musician of all time in Bob Marley has yet to have a proper film dedicated to his life and career. At long last that oversight has been corrected with 2024’s “Bob Marley: One Love.” Like most biopics these days, the Reinaldo Marcus Green (who also directed), Zach Baylin, Frank E. Flowers, and Terence Winter scripted film is pretty standard biopic fare that showcases the musician’s highs and lows. Of course, the reason most of these biopics grab you is that you just might learn something along the way (assuming they don’t stray from the facts that is). While the movie perhaps frustratingly leaves out a lot about the man and his life, you do get a snapshot of a pivotal few years where you learn about his creative process, what he stands for, and what his personal life was like. Ultimately, this is the problem with most biopics in that they feel so cookie cutter and lacking. 

The real reason the movie works at all is due to the dedicated and spirited performance by Kingsley Ben-Adir. The actor truly redeemed himself from the over-the-top, scenery chewing performance in the godawful “Secret Invasion” series. As Bob Marley, the actor really disappears into the role and is positively captivating in each and every scene. 

It doesn’t hurt that the movie features so many iconic Bob Marley tunes like “One Love,” “Jamming,” “Redemption Song,” “No Woman, No Cry,” the list goes on. It’s amazing how many enduring classics he created. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? Expect a crystal clear transfer.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? You get to hear Bob Marley tunes in Atmos. What’s not to like?

Extras:
* Blu-ray copy
* Digital copy
* 7 deleted scenes and 1 extended scenes
* “On Location: Jamaica And England” covers the location shooting.
* “The Band”- A featurette on the real musicians cast as band members.
* “The Cast”- A featurette on the cast members (obviously).
* “Becoming Bob Marley”- Kingsley Ben-Adir (and others) talk about the actor’s transformation into becoming Bob Marley.
* “The Story: Bringing Bob Marley’s Story To Life”- A featurette about bringing Bob Marley’s life to the big screen.
 

May 21, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Biopic, Bob Marley, Bob Marley: One Love, Bob Marley: One Love 4K UHD Steelbook Review, Jamming, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Music, No Woman No Cry, Reggae