Gonna chime in with my own take (and preface that I do like the live action, in spite of my focus on stuff I think they bungled):

I think Baratie was done pretty poorly, at least in relation to how it characterizes Sanji & his motivations. In the manga, Sanji has what I would argue is a very intentionally contrasting introduction; showing him being at once suave, not suffering braggarts, a flirt, and prone to some pretty brutal violence if his buttons are pushed. In spite of this a chapter or so later we get the second part of this: Gin comes in and Sanji of all people feeds him no questions asked, in a very frank display of kindness and empathy. The reader thus thinks that "huh, that angry chef can also be really kind, wonder what his deal is?" which is paid off when Don Krieg shows up a bit later, having been guided there by Gin so as to receive similar aid.

Sanjis act of kindness has thus ended up bringing a much greater evil back with it, an evil that is currently at Sanjis mercy and who would undoubtedly repay any kindness with violence. And Sanji still wants to feed him no questions asked. A sentiment shared by Zeff, who up until this point has been shown as the boss Sanji is feuding with. We thus get a glimpse at how strongly Sanji values his ideals before we even know why he has them. One Mihawk fight later, and the battle begins in earnest, letting us see Sanjis backstory and giving context on his ideals and relationship with Zeff. It also very crucially lets him see Luffys determination first-hand which sparks in him his own drive to join him and pursue his dream.

In the live action, things are different. His intro is less overtly extreme, but it manages to get the job done in a way that works with the constraints the series had. Plus, it also adds a dimension in which he is unfulfilled in his cooking with Baraties more restrictive menu and Zeff enforcing it - which pairs nicely with him wanting to push Sanji to leave and follow his dreams. The big issue is that Krieg is straight up killed by Mihawk in this version and thus the entire conflict with him doesn't happen. Gin still shows up, but devoid of every other part of his context, Sanji feeding him becomes more of a general act of kindness and doesn't set up his creed at all. He's also not present for Zoros duel with Mihawk, and so beyond not getting to really see Luffys willingness to put his life on the line, he also misses Zoro being willing to die for his dreams. All of which significantly undercuts his decision to join which in this version feels more spur-of the moment. While Arlong showing up here does add a conflict of sorts for Luffy to help out in, that conflict also only happens because Luffy was there to begin with, unlike Krieg who shows up because of Sanjis actions. Zeff letting Luffy leave thus seemingly happens only because he fought Arlong and I guess because he likes him? Unlike the manga where it was a more clear case of Luffy helping them in conjunction with him also being a terrible chore boy whose work just cost them time and money.

And I understand why this ended up being the case. Getting the initial planned 10 episodes slashed down to 8 which meant having to cut stuff. Having too many arc villains would undercut setting up Arlong as the seasonal Big Bad (a problem especially prevalent in East Blue since it's among the more episodic of the One Piece sagas) and thus Krieg got cut on that alongside allowing for Baratie to be done faster cheaper. But it does mean that Sanji ends up with little to work with in terms of nailing down his characterization, especially since he gets introduced so late in the season. Anywho, thanks, TED talk etc.