Watch the deliciously schlocky Soviet version of The Lord of the Rings

While fans of The saga of the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien wait for Amazon mega-bucks series, they can afford a more animated version of the famous fantasy tale. If you love the tacky movies ridiculed by Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax, you will probably appreciate the shlocky kindness of a 1991 Soviet television version of the LotR trilogy.

From school play style outfits to home computer-like special effects, this is a peculiar piece of nostalgia that is as far removed from director Peter Jackson’s Hollywood trilogy as Moscow is from Middle-earth.

The film aired on Soviet TV in 1991, then disappeared, so as not to be seen again until now, the Guardian newspaper reported. It aired on Leningrad Television and was posted on YouTube by Leningrad Television’s successor, 5TV, the newspaper reports.

Tolkien fans who don’t understand Russian can still kind of figure out who’s who and what is what. Some of the hobbits look like werewolves, Gandalf could use a bang trimmer, and the less that can be said about Frodo’s furry but hoof-like feet (go to 2:09 in the first video), the better. Sitting all through the process seems like a punishment worthy of Gollum. But if you are an SDA completist, or just a fan of exaggerated cinema, it is a must-skim.