Still forming your own images of Middle-earth, or stuck with Elijah and co.?

[The Saucepan Man]

I have noticed that many of you have commented on the fact that Elijah looked too young for the role of Frodo, and he thus did not fit the part. I have to admit that I agree with this to a certain extent, but I only agree with the physical aspect of the point.

Yes, Frodo was fifty when he set out from the Shire. But, courtesy of the Ring, he looked much younger. From The Shadow of the Past:

As time went on, people began to notice that Frodo also showed signs of good 'preservation': outwardly he retained the appearance of a robust and energetice hobbit just out of his tweens. 'Some folk have all the luck,' they said; but it was not until Frodo approached the usually more sober age of fifty that they began to think it queer.

So I see no reason to criticise the choice of Elijah on the basis of his youthful looks. Although, personally, I did think that he lacked the emotional maturity to portray a character of Frodo's age.