The Paramount Pictures produced Bob Marley: One Love, came out to an international opening with enthusiasm and a solid welcome by the audience. From Jamaica through UK to LA in the US New York the premier showings have created a strong buzz and a strong box office. Bob Marley is now and once again exposed to a new generation, a new generation to understand his music, his style and his message – that is a good thing.
The Marley family were careful in the portrayal of Bob and one can understand that – it is their legacy, they are the guardian of his spirit and of his message, so we commend the family for this major effort and from all reports, their own involvement from the beginning and commitment to the biopic. It certainly again brings brand Jamaica to the forefront and has brought a historic opening in Jamaica that created this universal attention.
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Jamaica has benefited from it and reggae music has also benefited from it in bringing to light or keeping in the light the very best of that genre. It was clearly a financial success by opening box office numbers it had gone well over 54 million in revenue so far which is pretty close to the 70 million that paramount invested in its production.
The general film critics were not so enthused about it saying it lacks the depth, it lacks a complete portrayal of Bob Marley’s own strength and the general critics felt that the biopic lacked depth and did not fully bring Bob Marley to life even the extent of his own music, his own philosophy and his own bravery and sacrifice, as they would put it, especially organizing a peace and unity council in Jamaica in 1978.
The Rotten Tomatoes, a website for film and television had a current audience approval of about 94% as opposed to the film critics of 44% so the audience liked it, the film critics not so much and the box office is showing some rigorous support. However we look at it, it was an opportunity for reggae music and Jamaica to be featured in a strong international showcase that certainly brought attention to both the music and the country and to Bob’s life, and so even in death Bob is doing the work that he loved so much to do in terms of music and country, so we welcome the Bob Marley One Love, and let us look to it as a beginning and a starting point from which we can all learn and grow.
