Guarding Your Heart: A Review of VidAngel

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life,”  (Proverbs 4:23 ESV). 

As someone who is wary of listening to foul language, it is hard for me to find good television shows and movies to watch that do not contain some sort of cursing. Even if I were to look past the language and attempt to watch the show for the plot, today’s media content promotes sexual immorality, homosexuality and other inappropriate ideals that makes me immediately turn it off.

While I love to rewatch films, sometimes I get sick of watching “Bluey” episodes repeatedly. There needs to be a way that I can watch a show or a movie for its plot and not worry about stepping over the (metaphorical) “Christian line.” Then came the answer to the problem.

VidAngel is a filtering service that allows users to watch movies and television shows their own way. It links to popular streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock, Freevee and Prime Video and watches the show for users to create filters that can be turned on and off at the user’s discretion.

According to the company’s website, “VidAngel acts like a fancy remote, giving you control over the viewing experience within your own home.”

The company recognizes that filtering looks different for everyone and each situation. 

However, VidAngel’s mission is to give everyone “the tools to make the media you allow in your home better for your needs: More enjoyable and less concerning,” according to the company website.

They do this through a series of overarching filters including sex, nudity, profanity, blasphemy, crude language, drugs and alcohol, graphic violence, non-graphic violence and blood and gore. In each section, VidAngel includes subsections of filtering content depending on the type of show.

According to the website, VidAngel does “condemn censorship of their (producers and directors) content in the public sphere. But individuals, in the privacy of their homes, have the personal freedom to watch that content in the way they choose. That’s why VidAngel does not claim to be a moral authority.”

The app does not tell users what to watch or what filters to use. Instead, the user has the power to decide what entertainment is the right fit in their situation, and all users must do is download the app to mute any language or scenes that they don’t want to see or hear — for a monthly fee of $9.99.

Ten bucks a month for a college student is certainly a lot of money. According to ZipRecruiter, college students in Lynchburg have an average monthly pay of $3,067. Of course, most college students only take up jobs to pay for their college tuition. Due to the high cost of college, most students have very little money left to afford subscription services.

However, VidAngel is undeniably worth the price. The app offers filters for over 200,000 movies and television shows and continues to add new titles from various streaming services weekly. There is even a request form that users can submit to appeal for a particular film.

The app is also user-friendly and creates a cinematic experience without the choppiness one might expect. The app allows you to see the number of total filters for each film and what it might look and sound like after the filters are applied.

“I kind of look at it like a double-edged sword,” Bruce Kirk, associate professor of digital media and journalism, said. “On the one hand, if I had kids, I probably would like to be able to filter some of that stuff out. But on the other hand, … I kind of like the unfiltered because I know that I’m getting the reality.”

According to VidAngel’s website, “As part of your subscription, you have access to some great original licensed content, including some from Angel Studios.”

While their original content can be a little cheesy and very on-the-nose, having access to popular Angel Studios content such as the biblical drama “The Chosen” without having to pay for a separate Angel Studios account is a bonus.

VidAngel’s main selling point is and will continue to be its filtering system. Shows that were originally rated R or TV-MA become PG-13 or less when VidAngel is applied.

“From a parent perspective, I actually love it,” Landry Coleman, digital media and journalism graduate student, said. “I’ve looked at it as sort of a positive, … and I’m okay with (the filters) as a journalist too because we are not cutting anything that is journalistic in nature. We’re using it to watch ‘Shrek,’ so I’m cool with it.”

Having the ability to guard my heart and still be able to watch quality shows with interesting plots will always make VidAngel worth the price.

Merritt is the arts & culture editor for the Liberty Champion.