- Content: “‘When Everything’s About Them, They’re Making It About Him’”
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What You Need To Know:
The premiere episode of Season One of REDEMPTION is an uplifting tale for fans and non-sports fans alike. It’s well-edited, has great audio mixing, and features a strong Christian bias. The Ohio Buckeyes exhibit the traits of teamwork, praying to God, and baptizing their classmates to the faith. However, there is moderate NFL violence and an actual brawl between sports fans. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends caution for teenagers and sensitive adults.
Content:
A strong Christian perspective that emphasizes teamwork and praying to God, the Ohio State Buckeyes admit to reading the Bible and praying to God in public, the Buckeyes hold a non-denominational baptism ceremony and baptize a dozen OSU students, the same players strive for excellence and not disappointing their fans, the football players persevere in spite of their declining track record, and the Buckeyes hold a strong bitter rivalry against the Michigan Wolverines;
No foul language;
Real life physical sports violence throughout, but no serious injuries or gore are shown, college football players tackle and smack each other on the field, a player gets hit in the chest, two football players get into a brawl after one team loses by three points, and a stadium-wide brawl breaks out between two opposing teams;
No sex;
No nudity;
No smoking or drug use;
No miscellaneous immorality.
More Detail:
In Episode One, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been losing to rival teams since 2021. A new fierce head coach, Ryan Day, steps in to overhaul the team roster. Meanwhile, several quarterbacks, such as Will Howard, run a Christian concert and live baptism ceremony at Ohio State University. This newfound faith is put to the test in a fierce match against the Michigan Wolverines. Can the Buckeyes reclaim their glory against “the team up north”?
Episode One is a well-made peek into the world of college football. It’s well-shot, has decent audio mixing, and tells a compelling story that non-sports fans can follow. The show’s greatest strength is how it weaves various sit-down interviews into a cohesive narrative. It jumps between the players and spectators without feeling disjointed or meandering. The only slight against the editing is the handling of the “YouTube livestream” segments. These moments are slotted into the docuseries without much audio or visual clean-up, and it somewhat distracts the solid presentation. Otherwise, how well does this docuseries portray the Christian faith?
REDEMPTION offers a strong bias towards Christianity and teamwork. In Episode One, the Buckeye quarterbacks admit to praying to Jesus and God before and after each game. The Buckeyes wear shirts with “Jesus” and “God” plastered on them. Later, the quarterbacks hold an on-campus concert and baptize dozens of students into Christianity. The players are shown to be non-denominational Christians, but they openly discuss the Gospel during the sit-down interviews. Lastly, the Buckeyes stress teamwork, striving for excellence, and perseverance despite their recent track record.
REDEMPTION is free of foul language and sexual content, but it contains moderate real-world violence. Throughout Episode One, college-aged men push, smack, and chase after each other. Later, the Buckeye quarterbacks wrestle against the opposing team in frustration. A stadium-wide brawl breaks out between Ohio and Michigan State fans, but the police eventually break it up. The docuseries doesn’t show any serious injuries, however.
The premiere episode of REDEMPTION is an uplifting tale for fans and non-sports fans alike. It’s well-edited, has excellent audio mixing, and features a strong Christian bias. The Ohio Buckeyes exhibit traits of teamwork, prayer, and baptizing their classmates into the faith. However, there is moderate NFL violence and an actual brawl between sports fans. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends caution for teenagers and adults.
