Although Garuda was shot digitally (a first for Thai cinema), the DVD was apparently transferred from a film source. There are a few errant specks on the print, but they're hardly noticeable; certainly not enough to be distracting. The image is sharp and the colors are vibrant. Neither grain nor digital artifacting is a problem.

There is one odd thing about the picture: The contrast between light and dark is too stark. Shadows, and other dark areas, tend to be solid black, with little or no graduation from lighter areas. While the level of detail in brighter areas / scenes is good, it suffers in darker areas / scenes. This isn't a major problem; it's just a strange quality that keeps the image from being truly lifelike. Grade: B

Audio: There are two audio options: The film's original Thai soundtrack is presented in both Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS 5.1. The Dolby 5.1 track sounds great. The dialogue is clear and sounds good, despite some occasional awkward-sounding English. Fortunately, the English subtitles don't quit when English is being spoken, as they do on most subtitled movies. (The Thai subtitles are only available when another language is being spoken, however.) The music and sound effects are loud and clear. This is a very powerful soundtrack; definitely one to wake the neighbors with. I don't yet have a DTS system, so I can't comment on that option. Grade: A

Extras / Menus: There are two special features, both in non-anamorphic widescreen, with no subtitles. The main extra is a 22-minute making-of featurette. Film clips are interspersed with members of the cast and crew talking about various aspects of the production. The special effects are discussed at length. There is footage of a robotic Garuda prop, as well as CGI work-in-progress and blue-screen filming. There are also fleeting glimpses of storyboards. Some early or alternate creature designs would have been interesting to see. Another element that is sorely missing is some background on the Garuda mythos. A few photos of traditional Garuda artwork and statues are shown, but nothing substantive. Of course, Thai viewers are probably already familiar with the creature. The lack of subtitles would have rendered it moot, anyways. This featurette was apparently made for Thai television. It seems images of smoking aren't allowed on That TV, as a smoking character's cigarette is pixelated in some of the film clips!

The film's theatrical trailer is also included. It runs almost 3 minutes, and is a bit short on monster action. The menus are still images with film clips that play when you move from one to another. These clips suffer from digital macroblocking, a problem that thankfully doesn't mar the film itself. The scene selection menus also have animated clips playing in the selection windows. All of the menus have the same background music, the film's end title theme. It's a rock song with some record scratching and other hip-hop conventions, kind of like a Thai version of Linkin Park. Grade: B-

Final Analysis: The film itself is enjoyable, if familiar enough to fit in comfortably on the Sci-Fi Channel. The DVD is well done, with good picture quality and an intense soundtrack. It's also stylishly packaged in a slimcase, which makes standard DVD cases look fat and clunky in comparison. The subtitles are decently-written and easy to read. (They sure say "shit" a lot, though.) This "Thaikaiju" film is recommended for monster movie fans looking to sample something a little different, but not too spicy.

Final Grade: B+