The ethics are, as you say, admirable, and I've often wondered if ethics didn't originally play some role in the development of kosher meat rules. We have some prime acreage for hunting and we're often asked by hunters if they can hunt here. We turn them down except for one situation -- if they've already wounded the animal and are tracking it. In that case, yes, they may track it on our land because it's the ethical thing to allow.
I don't think we all need to strive to be vegan athletes, but there are some misconceptions in the meat-eating world, such as thinking vegans won't get enough protein, which may (or may not) be addressed by the upcoming film. The lack of B12 is an obvious concern, but that, too, is easy to overcome.
To my way of thinking, food flavor is simple science, and I can create a vegan burger that's just as tasty as a hamburger, but with twice the protein and none of the artery-clogging fat. Of course, it must be eaten with fries (I mean, that's a given, right?) and that may cancel out its health properties. The addition of nutritional yeast gives it a "meaty" flavor and offers more B12 than the original.
Eventually, I think people will move toward more veganism, but I think it will be a slow move -- at least a hundred years.
What I'm excited about with the upcoming film is that -- if it shows what I think it will -- it will demonstrate that going meatless (for those in the emotional vicinity) can be a healthy option.