7 Neil Gaiman Adaptations, Ranked

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and written by both Mitchell and Philippa Goslett (The Nevers), this film stars Elle Fanning as a humanoid alien and Alex Sharp as the punky young man she meets in 1970s London. “[Mitchell’s] giddy, knowingly camp direction has a sort of glitter-stick DIY spirit that keeps the movie aloft long after the story itself has run out of road,” said Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt. Tomatometer Score: 48%

A young man (Charlie Cox) ventures into a magical realm to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved (Sienna Miller), not realizing that star is another blond woman (Claire Danes). Add a pirate played by Robert De Niro and a witch played by Michelle Pfeiffer, and this film is off to the races. “Massively pretty to look at, Stardust bursts [with] Gaiman’s trademark invention,” said the BBC’s Ann Kelly. Tomatometer Score: 70%

Ex-con Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) accepts a bodyguard job offered by con man Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) and finds himself embroiled in a battle between the world’s Old and New Gods. “When it isn’t dazzling viewers with luscious visual effects and double-jointed storylines, American Gods demonstrates its potential as a critique of ancient belief and modernity. The result makes for spellbinding television,” said Bitch Media’s Fredrick Salyers. Tomatometer Score: 77%

As this series starts, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) has swapped Hell for Los Angeles, where he runs a nightclub. And after a murder in this City of Supposed Angels, the onetime devil starts working (and becoming enamored by) LAPD detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German). “With Ellis’ scenery-chewing as its centrifugal force, Lucifer is a pulp fandango that revels in its inherent silliness and is all the richer for it,” The Daily Telegraph’s Ed Power said. Tomatometer Score: 87%

After being held captive for more than a century, the Sandman a.k.a. Dream a.k.a. Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) starts the job of righting his realm in this TV series that Gaiman developed alongside David S. Goyer (Foundation) and Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman). “Neil Gaiman’s vision and narrative have been masterfully adapted,” said Inverse’s Mónica Marie Zorrilla. “The devotion and care is palpable in the finished product.” Tomatometer Score: 88%

Michael Sheen and David Tennant play angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley, respectively, as the supernatural team tries to save humanity from Armageddon in this adaptation of a story Gaiman wrote with fellow fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett. “No screen version of the book was going to be perfect, or work for everyone, but this is probably the closest we were going to get,” said Empire’s James White. “Praise be!” Tomatometer Score: 85%

In this Oscar-nominated stop-motion-animated film based on Gaiman’s Hugo Award-winning novella, a young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) travels through a secret door and into an alternate reality that seems idyllic… until she realizes what she has gotten herself buttoned into. “All involved in this production deserve praise for turning Coraline into a triumph of storytelling and cinematic technology,” said the Contra Costa Times’ Randy Myers. “Whether you’re young, middle-age or older, you’ll adore it.” Tomatometer Score: 91%