Jackson vs. Bakshi

Apparently you do

He made a version of Lord of the Rings back in 1978 which was a lot more faithful to the novel aside from a few aspects, the only thing it kind of screwed up was the character of Samwise Gamgee who was more like the Troll in Central Park

Yeah I felt the Bakshi version actually respected the novel, if they actually had time to not only finish the story but flesh things out a little bit better it would have been easily better than the Jackson version.

Galadriel was better in the extended edition of the films where Jackson had room to keep in the scenes showing her friendlier side.

I do enjoy Bakshi's version, but it's held back by the runtime, the fact that it's half a film, and a couple of crucial design errors. Sam Gamgee's portrayal is such a bummer in Bakshi's version and Sam is so critical to Lord of the Rings. Mostly, though, I think the fact that the film feels rushed and can't really sit in too many moments hurts it.

This might be best illustrated by counter-examples. When the film takes its time, it's astoundingly good. Basically everything with the Ringwraiths is eerie, unsettling, and near-perfect. The strange, nightmarish ride to the ford for instance, or the uncomfortable, shivering moaning and shuffling that the black rider does while sniffing around near the tree. That stuff is drawn out and marvelous as a result. But there are other moments that just don't have the time to dig in.

Overall, for many reasons, I think Jackson's was the superior version, but there's plenty to love with Bakshi's take on it. It's a film I adore as much for what it could or should have been as for what it was.