Overview: The lost cult hit has finally made it to North America! Meet the Stardust Brothers, a 1980s Japanese pop duo manufactured by a shady music mogul when he brings together two wannabe stars - punk rock rebel Kan and new-wave crooner Shingo - and transforms them into a girl-friendly, silver-jump suited, synth-pop sensation!

Along with their appointed #1 fan, who herself dreams of a music career, the duo rockets to stardom, only to discover that, as the lyrics of one of their insanely catchy songs makes clear, Once you reach No. 1, you just go down.

DVD Verdict: Some Japanese films have a reputation for being OTT and this is no exception! The plot is fairly skinny, but nonetheless highly enjoyable, from start to finish.

Two brothers form a band and what we see is the rise and fall after they become famous. Nothing extraordinary in terms of plot, but what is extraordinary is how it is all put together.

I mean, at one point, we are treated to a car chase scene that is like something out of a Richard Lester film! Coincidentally, I’m guessing Beatlemania was an influence as we see a few scenes with hysterical fans, crying, wailing and begging to just touch their heroes!

We also see a girl in a wedding dress merge with the two brothers and form a giant white ball which bowls down the bad guys chasing them, almost like something out of the cult videogame Katamari Damacy!

Early on there is also a weird zombie/monster dance scene, somewhat reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, if I’m being totally honest, and yet it seemingly pre-dates a lot of music videos I used to watch on MTV.

Anyway, overall, the film can easily be described as Thriller meets Rocky Horror Picture Show combined with a heavy sprinkling of Bill & Ted!

Other than the aforementioned monster scene, the similarities end there, but that scene has obviously registered with me still today, I now believe that particular scene could equally be influenced by Japanese writer Rampo (although, sadly, I wouldn’t believe that many have heard of him).

With regards the aforementioned Rocky Horror Picture Show, the director has stated he was inspired by the film, which is clearly obvious as it shows throughout in all the campness and OTT acting and, of course, cross-dressing!

In conclusion, The Legend of the Stardust Brothers is very camp, very cheesy in places, and yet at all times a colorful wonderment of intrigue and weirdness, which has already made it a deserved cult classic back home. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Making Of Stardust Brothers - Interview with Director Macoto Tezuka
Theatrical Trailer
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