Good acting is believable and conveys the characters’ emotions and thoughts through their facial expressions and body language. The acting in general in LOTR is pretty good. But in particular, Ian McKellan does an excellent job playing Gandalf. When Frodo volunteers to take the Ring, he blinks extremely slowly. His slight eye and eyebrow movements reveal that he's relieved but also worried at the same time. And then when he tells Frodo that he'll help him get to Mount Doom, he walks slowly toward Frodo with a small smile on his face, revealing that he's hopeful as well as proud of Frodo. Through the use of slight facial movements and not overacting, McKellan conveys a lot of Gandalf's emotions throughout the movie.

On the other hand, as the protagonist, Elijah Woods does not do a good job of expressing Frodo's emotions. In this scene in particular, from when he is tempted by the Ring to when Gandalf says he will go with him to Mount Doom, his facial expression never changes: He always looks distressed and worried. Even when Gandalf offers to help him, he doesn't smile slightly nor does he look even just a bit relieved. Frodo's facial expressions throughout the movie made it hard for the audience to understand and interpret his thoughts and emotions, besides just being in pain all the time.