One gripe I had with Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood was a lot of the comedy, now I did find Armstrong going shirtless funny each time, but a LOT of tension that was created in a lot of scenes was destroyed as soon as they put chibify characters (Like the one scene with Izumi and Ed talking about the horroros of the gate of truth to Al). Yes, Fullmetal Alchemist does this as well, but it doesn't overdo it by putting it in scenes where it shouldn't be in, to say the least.
An important part of Fullmetal Alchemist is the homunculi, in this show the homuncili are a bit different in their origins and they add in two 2003 exclusive homunculus with Wrath and Sloth. Something much more interesting that Fullmetal Alchemist does is how it handles the homunculus, they have much better arcs here. Lust in 2003 is far superior to her characterization in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, for one example.
To put it simple, Fullmetal Alchemist has so much more heart in comparison to Brotherhood. I'm not putting Brotherhood down or anything, but what I'm trying to say is that Fullmetal Alchemist just has so many more qualities that I enjoy. The pacing is slow to make sure the characterization is done well. The atmosphere of the anime as a whole is just so old and mystical. Yes, the ending was different, but i think it perfectly conveys what messages and themes that the 2003 adaptation was trying to tell.
Please, give Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 a shot, it may not follow the same story as brotherhood and it may be older, but its still a timeless classic.
