For variety, check out the Magic Lantern on Friday

Above : Marinus Hohman and Riva Krymalowski star in “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit,” which opens Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre. (Photo/Warner Bros.)

You probably couldn’t find two movies more different than the pair opening Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre . Unless, of course, you compare fascist politics with a zombie invasion.

And admit it: The two do share certain commonalities.

Anyway, the two movies opening Friday are the variation on a memoir titled “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit” and the action flick “Army of the Dead.”

The first is an adaptation of the late Judith Kerr ’s trilogy, “Out of the Hitler Time,” the first installment of which – published in 1971 – was given the same curious title as the film. It involves the toy rabbit that Kerr’s character, Anna Kemper, was forced to leave behind when her family flees Germany after the fateful 1933 federal elections – the same elections that first brought Adolf Hitler to power.

Kerr’s own family was forced to do the same as they were Jewish and her father, Alfred, was a noted Hitler critic. Director Caroline Link’s film focuses on the family’s struggle to escape and then adjust to a continually changing environment.

As critic Alex Heeney wrote, “Judith Kerr’s beloved children’s novel gets a worthy adaptation from German director Caroline Link in this film that balances the hardships and fear of being a refugee with the optimism of childhood.”

“Army of the Dead,” by contrast, starts out as a heist flick (much like the recent “Wrath of Man”) and yet – in the hands of director Zack Snyder – evolves into something akin to “The Walking Dead.” (Snyder, of course, is recently famous for the release of his uncut version of “Justice League” ).

Bob Strauss of the San Francisco Chronicle had this to say: “Snyder’s first zombie film since his debut feature, the 2004 remake of ‘Dawn of the Dead,’ is his most enjoyable in 17 years as well.”

Adam Graham of the Detroit News had a different take: “Here’s an idea: cut the fat and bring it in at 90 minutes. That would be a Snyder Cut worth the fuss.”

And there you have it. Or them. Whatever. Go and see a movie. And enjoy.