For the most part, sports-related movies tend to fall into the “uplifting/beating the odds” domain. This doesn’t become the case with 2021’s National Champions, a story that looks at the money behind the games.

In three days, the Wolves will play against the Cougars for the college national championship. However, conflict lurks, as some players choose this event to indicate their disagreement with the existing financial structure.

Star Wolves quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James) and running back Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig) lead a strike and refuse to play unless a system of fair compensation. With so little time before the major sporting event, Wolves head coach James Lazor (JK Simmons) and others struggle to get the players on the field for the big game.

Ric Roman Waugh made his name in stunts. As a director, you’ll find his filmography dominated by action movies like Angel Has Fallen and Greenland.

This makes Champions a change of pace for Waugh. Unfortunately, he doesn’t transition to the more dramatic/character-based side of the street well.

Too much of the time, Champions feels more like a series of topic-based monologues than a coherent narrative. We bounce from one long speech to another, all of which allow the actors the spotlight but few of which feel natural or organic.

Really, Champions comes across like a stiff attempt to translate the issue of college player compensation into a dramatic piece. Because the film casts a very broad net, it lacks the tightness that might make it more effective.

An ensemble piece, Champions comes with a variety characters. Though some - primarily James and Lazor – get more screen time than others, this choice ensures that we don’t get to know any of the roles as well as we should.

It doesn’t help that none of the parts ever feels especially real or natural. All act as archetypes intended to spout their various messages, and they can’t develop into believable personalities.

Waugh shoots Champions in a documentary format. As much as I usually despise shakycam, it makes sense here to lend a “fly on the wall” impression to the events.

Unfortunately, too much of Champions feels contrived. This means the documentary-style photography doesn’t connote a sense of reality and the movie remains too melodramatic and theatrical.

Champions does sport a top-notch cast. In addition to those I already mentioned, we find folks like Lil Rel Howery, David Koechner, Kristen Chenoweth, Tim Blake Nelson, Jeffrey Donovan and Timothy Olyphant. We find a slew of cameos from those in the sports world as well.

In theory, the presence of so many recognizable faces should add credibility to Champions. Unfortunately, the actors find themselves stuck with such one-dimensional characters that they can’t bring much to the project.

Toss in scads of gratuitous product placement and National Champions doesn’t connect. While it focuses on a hot topic in the current sports landscape, it can’t find a way to form a compelling drama.

National Champions appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a solid visual presentation here.

The shows offered positive clarity. Only a smidgen of softness materialized, so definition was usually good.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering appeared, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws failed to mar the presentation.

The film opted for a palette with a definite teal tint as well as some amber/orange. Within those parameters, the colors seemed fine.

Blacks were pretty deep and tight, while shadows appeared positive, with only a little opacity on occasion. Overall, the film provided appealing visuals.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack suited the movie but won't win any awards. The soundstage appeared nicely broad at the appropriate times and could be moderately engulfing on occasion. It's a talky little film, so the focus was mainly up front, but the audio expanded when necessary.

This occurred mostly via music and environmental ambience – especially in terms of score and songs, as those used the various speakers well. Football games and a few other sequences added some range as well.

Sound quality seemed fine. Dialogue always appeared crisp and natural, and I had no trouble understanding it. The score was warm and distinctive.

Effects also seemed realistic and adequate for the tasks at hand. Champions won't be anyone's demo track, but the mix worked well for the film.

In terms of extras, we get three brief featurettes: “Behind the Music” (2:09), “The Game” (3:01) and “Sports Trivia” (). Across these, we hear from composer Jonathan Sanford, director Ric Roman Waugh, producers Greg Economou and Brendan Boyea, and actors Stephan James, Andrew Bachelor, Uzo Aduba, Tim Blake Nelson, Jeffrey Donovan, Alexander Ludwig, and Kristin Chenoweth.

These look at music, story and topical domains, and college football trivia. “Music” offers a few decent notes, but the other two boast nothing but promotional fluff.

An attempt to look at current hot button issues in college sports, National Champions comes with an intriguing premise. However, it spreads itself too thin and focuses on too much melodrama to become an effective tale. The Blu-ray offers positive picture and audio along with insubstantial bonus materials. Despite a strong cast, the movie lacks punch.