Marley (2012)

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Marley Film Review The life and times of Bob Marley could be an appropriate description for the documentary entitled "Marley". Marley covers the journey of Robert "Bob" Marley, a popular Reggae Singer/ Songwriter from the Sixties to the Eighties. The documentary encompasses Bob Marley's humble beginnings as well as his rise to fame. Bob Marley plays himself, as does his son Ziggy, Rita and Cedella Marley. What made Bob such an Iconic figure was his way of forward thinking, his positivity for Unity and Love. The social, cultural and political issues of the times were a major contributing factor to the formulation and creation of Bob's music and eventual legacy. The incorporation of black and white footage, as well as sepia tones help to recreate Bob Marley's story. The dramatic structure of the documentary effectively captures the viewers' attention. The flashbacks and rough grain film stock give you a sense of the struggle at that time. Bob preached Rastafarianism, love, acceptance and unity he was legendary in his thinking, but his music, his music was revolutionary in the most peaceful way. The vibrations of the thoughts behind the words are truly what made Bob Marley's music ahead of its time. He was so aware and so keen to the illusions that were marketed to the world and he changed that by thinking outside of the box. Bob, like Bruce Lee had such a high vibrational frequency that they raised the energy of all around them. Bruce a master of the martial arts used his talents and skills to spread awareness like Bob. Bob even got shot and performed injured. He made a statement along the lines that evil doesn't take a day off and neither should the righteous. Bob Marley like Michael Jackson created very powerful, soulful and healing music. It wasn't about being commercial, it was about being pure. Bob was born to a Caucasian father and an African American mother. Bob and his friends would often go to sleep hungry because they were so poor. Bob Marley was not rich as most would think, his salary was similar to minimum wage, but he never gave up the fight. He was the light in a world of darkness. Humble, quiet and shy were some of the characteristics friends and family remembered of Bob.On and ending note, Bob did so much with so little and changed the fabric of time with his music, forever to be immortalized on the Earth plane. A true icon, a righteous soul fighting the good fight; that was Marley.

Marley is a moving, and a very touching film. That could sum up this film review. I will say this is a must watch for all music/human rights fan. We should all be reminded and learn from Bob's actions and his love. The movie was very touching and really brought out emotions I wasn't expecting. Great watching his transformation. He loved his fellow man, and that really comes through this great film. I wish I could have seen him perform live. This film let's us in a little to his live performance and his day to day life. Great to see all the love surrounding this man, and his ability to reunite a country and it people-Amazing!! What an incredible man who embraced the human spirit. I love Mr.Bob Marley more than ever.

Marley (2012) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Director Kevin Macdonald epic look at music legend Bob Marley follows him from his early days to his rise in music and eventually his death at the age of 36. Through concert, interview and audio footage, we get to hear from Marley throughout his life and of course there's a lot of attention given to the music but there's also a lot aimed at Marley's lifestyle and his hopes for the future. We also get interviews with his son, daughter, mother, wife as well as countless band members and others who knew him personally. At 142-minutes, this thing certainly packs in a lot of information and I think die-hard Marley fans are going to really love this thing. There's no question that nearly every aspect of his life is covered from his early childhood, to his womanizing and of course the final few months of his life. The film really does an exceptional job at giving you a complete look at the man and it doesn't shy away or try to hide his darker side or moments that aren't as good and fun. The documentary really shows him as a complete human, which is something a lot of these films miss. Those who are just mild fans or are just wanting quick look at how Marley was might find this to be a bit too long but I do feel this was made for die-hard fans who want to know everything. I really enjoyed all of the concert footage that they added because one gets a great idea of what Marley was like on stage. Of course, countless songs are on full display here, which is another major plus. Certain aspects of Marley's life gets additional attention here including the Smile Jamaica Concert and him getting shot before hand. Also, the final months of Marley's life also gets additional scenes and it's still shocking to see him dying so young.

I'll admit freely that I hadn't looked at any biography of Mr. Marley (please tell me you didn't think this movie had anything to do with that dog film starring Owen Wilson? Thanks), so maybe that helped or it didn't while watching this. But I think this is as accurate and fully explored as far as biographies go. It covers quite a lot of ground and is a really satisfying look behind the curtains of a man that more than influenced (music) history.It might be a bit too long for some, but the time is needed to explore as much as I stated above. If you like the music or music in general and don't mind documentaries, you can't go wrong with this one (throwing in a few songs for good measure).