--- title: "Marley: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/marley/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/marley" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Marley (2012): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 11 reviews: 8 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics welcome Marley as a detailed, moving portrait, with praise clustering around the interviews and archival performances. Access to friends, family and bandmates gives the account intimacy, while the concert footage conveys the pleasure and conviction in his music. The reviews also value the attention to his early career, religious beliefs and political commitments. For the more enthusiastic critics, the breadth helps explain both the musician and his cultural reach. Length is the recurring reservation, including among admirers: several reviews find that the detail becomes exhausting or slows the film down. There is also concern that the music needs more uninterrupted space. The spread runs from enthusiastic praise to mixed responses, with no outright negative verdicts. Slant Magazine finds the portrait overly romanticised, though it values Rita Marley’s more complicated perspective; HeyUGuys argues that the reverence leaves Marley himself insufficiently understood. ## Empire — Eve Barlow Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic calls the documentary an epic, uplifting and definitive portrait of Bob Marley. They praise its breadth, from interviews with people in Marley’s life to its account of his musical and cultural legacy. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/marley-2-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 April 2012. Turan finds the documentary moving, authoritative and a fitting tribute to Marley. He especially praises its extensive archival performance footage and the joy it conveys in Marley’s music. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-apr-20-la-et-marley-20120420-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jordan Mintzer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2012. Festival review. Mintzer calls it a stirring, potentially definitive portrait of Bob Marley, though its lengthy running time and abundance of detail can bog it down. He praises the concert footage and the film’s closing performances for showing Marley’s commitment to unifying Jamaica. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/marley-berlin-film-review-kevin-macdonald-289561/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 4/5. 17 April 2012. Huddleston gives the documentary a positive four-out-of-five rating. The available standfirst highlights its opening credit identifying Marley’s record label, but does not reveal a specific praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/marley) ## The Guardian — Andrew Pulver Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2012. Festival review. Pulver finds the documentary a richly detailed and worthwhile portrait of Marley. He praises its account of Marley’s early musical career and its engagement with his religious and political convictions. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/feb/13/marley-review) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2012. Lane finds the documentary inspiring and effective at restoring the longing and indignation behind Marley’s music. He praises its account of Marley’s life but wishes it gave more time to let the music play uninterrupted. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/04/23/jammin) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint is available from the page text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marley-2012) ## Slant Magazine — Glenn Heath Jr. Rating 2/4. 19 April 2012. The critic finds the documentary overlong and overly romanticized, despite its loving attention to Marley’s life. Rita Marley’s account of their complicated relationship offers the film’s most nuanced perspective. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/marley/) ## Paste — Jonah Flicker Rating 8.0/10. 16 February 2012. Flicker finds the documentary an intriguing and worthwhile exploration of Bob Marley, despite its excessive length and omissions about his music. He praises the interviews, vintage performances, and vivid Jamaican locations for bringing fresh detail to a well-documented life. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/marley) ## Collider — Keith Demko Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2012. Demko finds the documentary intimate, entertaining and largely satisfying, though it grows exhaustive and drags near the end. He praises Macdonald’s remarkable access to Marley’s friends, family and bandmates for creating a vivid portrait. [Read the review](https://collider.com/marley-blu-ray-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Will Jones Rating 3/5. 19 April 2012. The critic finds the documentary well made but ultimately tiresome and overly reverential. The brisk editing of archival footage and the tense account of Marley’s Jamaican peace concert stand out, while the film offers little insight into Marley himself. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/marley-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/marley.md