Leena gets a chance to prove her father right when a massive underground construction project uncovers more Garuda remains. Leena, her co-worker Tim, and her uncle are called in to examine them. Complicating matters is the deployment of a Special Forces military unit to the site. Ostensibly there to protect the find, they instead endanger it with their predilection for blowing things up first and not asking questions later. They uncover a large underground chamber that had been sealed for centuries. Inside is part of a petrified forest, and the perfectly preserved body of a Garuda. However, the Garuda is not dead. It revives, and begins decimating the soldiers' ranks en route to escaping to the surface. Once free, the city of Bangkok is plunged into chaos when Garuda takes to the skies!

Garuda is a promising new monster movie from Thailand. The title creature is a bird-god from Hindu mythology. Garuda's religious significance is one reason the Thai government is so secretive and cautious when dealing with it. Are the Special Forces there to protect this discovery from foreigners, to cover it up from the Thai people, or to destroy it? This is never really explained. The film does have a palpable sense of xenophobia, however. Leena is continually derided as a "farang" and "half-caste." The inclusion of so much hostility towards anyone not 100% Thai is somewhat puzzling in a film that has the potential to be sold overseas. Perhaps this reflects a real problem in Thai society?

The monster itself is well realized via CGI. The CGI looks much better than that in the Korean kaiju epic Reptilian. It's on par with American CGI; not Jurassic Park-quality, but superior to American B-movies like the Python series. The Garuda design is interesting. It's a humanoid bird with a muscular frame and a combination of reptilian scales and feathers. It can walk through subway tunnels, but when it spreads its wings, its wingspan is enormous. It's also an intelligent creature that outwits the military several times.

One of the film's more interesting premises is that the Thai Special Forces have dealt with this sort of thing before. There is a flashback showing them fighting a Naga, a legendary giant serpent. One of the men describes his unit as "soldiers who kill gods," and he has a special knife for that purpose. Sometimes, the film goes overboard in presenting the soldiers as macho tough guys, though. There are many scenes of them smirking and snarling as they go about their soldier-business in slow motion. While these injections of cinematic testosterone are no doubt meant to be bad-ass, they're unintentionally humorous. There are other instances of "borrowing" from Western action films, such as the use of Matrix-style bullet time. Like the many Western homages in the Heisei Godzilla series, they merely inspire chuckles. They're unnecessary imitations in a film that should be trying to establish its own identity. Garuda could also use some originality in the plot department. The monster doesn't emerge from underground until almost 90 minutes in. Until then, it's the standard game of monster and soldiers chasing each other through dark corridors, as seen in hundreds of B-movies. The scenes of Garuda in the city are well done; there should be more of them. Luckily, the film is made with enough style to elevate it above its Sci-Fi Channel brethren. While Garuda has its share of flaws, it gets enough things right for kaiju fans to look forward to more monster films from Thailand. Grade: B

...The film itself is enjoyable, if familiar enough to fit in comfortably on the Sci-Fi Channel... This "Thaikaiju" film is recommended for monster movie fans looking to sample something a little different, but not too spicy.