So I tried again without heat and actually had worse results. However, doing more research, it seems the issue may be the fact that the VVivid film I purchased is vinyl (PVC) vs. polyurethane based. The PVC is less malleable and generally less durable than the poly based film. E.g. the 3m film is poly film.
So I have some Vvivd poly film and a third party film being shipped now, given 3m is out of stock everywhere. I'll update when I get it on and test.