The Parents seems to want to have it both ways, but has neither the frenetic energy of the Austin Powers flicks nor the serious, more touching tone of Mystery, Alaska. It's like a boat without a destination, floating without any real idea of where it's going. Well, for a new release I wouldn't expect anything less than a stellar image from Universal, and they don't disappoint here. Colors are quite natural-looking with excellent saturation and no smearing. Fleshtones appear solid and lend to the authenticity of the image.
Blacks are pure with good contrast, providing a sufficient level of shadow delineation.
Overall detail, aside from the occasional shot, is very strong with image depth and clarity quite apparent. This is just a great looking picture that just misses the mark of reference-quality due to a few imperfections. Universal has also included both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, though neither has much to do. Dialog, the predominant element of the track, is well recorded and placed exclusively in the center channel. I noticed no moments of strain or distortion in the vocals.