Taken as a whole, Garuda is more of a surprise piece than an entertaining one. You don't normally see a movie from Thailand with this much ambition. Sadly, all the ambition in the world doesn't change Garuda's barren entertainment value. (*)

On DVD, Garuda is all about color. Blinding, bright, and sharp color. The black levels are calibrated perfectly, more so than almost any US produced disc. With striking color comes compression however, and it's unavoidable here. Backgrounds suffer constantly and if the scene calls for any red, it's impossible to miss. (***)

Audio options are plentiful, but none of them serve the film properly. The English dub is a disaster, in either 5.1 or 2.0. The dialogue is changed drastically, the actors are monotone, and it gives all the reasons why purists skip dubs entirely. The 5.1 is handled nicely here, albeit with some overly aggressive bass.

For the Thai mixes (again, 5.1 and 2.0), they're mixed far too low. The 2.0 stereo is fine while the 5.1 audio track is bad enough to force a recall. Turning this movie up to hear  the dialogue is a nasty idea, because the bass isn't toned down at all to match the rest of the mix. It's not only a problem, it's flat out dangerous to your sound equipment. If you can make out anything over your subwoofer, you'll hear a 5.1 track that's equal to its English counterpart. (**)

Aside from trailers, there is a 22-minute making-of piece. This reveals the plan to create the monster via traditional effects, and the film would have been better for it (especially during close ups). A few other interesting tidbits are pieced together around the usual praise fest from everyone involved. (*)

From an American viewpoint, Garuda is only a small notch above some of the Sci-Fi Channel's usual airings. There is definitely some care evident here, but the traditional plot devices, completely lost creature design, and blatant theft of style ensure Garuda will stay an obscure oddity. Fans of giant monsters need not apply.