Bob Marley: One Love released in theaters on Feb. 14, 2024. The film follows Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley on his journey to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.

This flick is an interesting one, in that it doesn’t necessarily provide background on its main character. The audience is put into the shoes of Marley right from the start, and the first half is definitely missing some sort of introduction. Because of this, the first 45 minutes of Bob Marley: One Love feel disjointed.

The last two-thirds work a lot better, highlighting Bob Marley as an individual and how his songs impact people all around the world. Not only do we get to see Marley’s connection with music and people, but we also see how all of this pressure took a toll on him. There are multiple layers to him, and the movie is able to navigate that in a very engaging way. The flick is also better able to use his music in the second half, actually integrating scenes of him making it rather than just using the songs as transitions.

In the end, Bob Marley: One Love is a fairly standard biopic. I don’t really have too many thoughts on this one — it misses some opportunities along the way, but by the time it came to an end I felt like it got its message across effectively. The music is obviously the highlight here, but it was also interesting being able to learn more about the man himself.

Rating: 3 out of 5