Maybe I was expecting a little too much from The Legend of the Stardust Brothers, but can you blame me when it's called The Legend of the Stardust Brothers and is promoted as a Japanese surreal musical/comedy film? I may well have been wanting too much, for it to scratch an itch perfectly, and then when it didn't, a little disappointment set in. But... that's on me, or it could be on the mood I'm in tonight.
Taking a step back, The Legend of the Stardust Brothers is quite good, very funny at times (definitely not always), and most of the music is super catchy. It's really all about the songs, and then there's a little fun to be had by seeing how all the music gets strung together. Spoiler alert: it's barely comprehensible, especially in the second half. If it had spiraled out of control in some other way, maybe it would've resonated more, but I just wasn't loving the anarchy and the energy of this one entirely.
But at the end of it all, that's the nature of cult movies, even more so when the cult movie in question is a musical. The Legend of the Stardust Brothers is one I could come back to a certain point, and may well love more. I think for the time being, I can see myself returning to some of the songs here. It works musically, it's occasionally funny, and there's certainly creativity to be admired.
Was it my kind of messy? No, not exactly, but it could well be your kind of messy.