This post was updated July 26 at 8:49 p.m.

This summer, as the sun blazes overhead, movies are heating up with stories worth escaping into.

Whether viewers are chasing cool air-conditioned theaters or a late-night premiere under the stars, there is no shortage of cinematic thrills. From genre-blending films to epic superhero returns, this season’s lineup sizzles with something for every film fan.

Read on for the Daily Bruin’s curated picks that will make summer moviegoing unforgettable.

“Eddington” (A24)

Ari Aster saddles up six-feet apart from horror in his newest genre-bending western.

“Eddington” hit theaters July 18 following its global premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Aster’s dark comedy follows Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) as he campaigns for mayor against incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent political upheaval. Rounding out the star-studded cast, Emma Stone plays Joe’s eccentric wife, Louise, alongside Austin Butler as the fear mongering cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak.

Marking Aster’s fourth feature film, “Eddington” veers from his signature unsettling horror in favor of a heightened comedic tone set against a strikingly timely backdrop. Trailers released by A24 reveal Aster’s satirical lens on the pandemic, exploring the polarizing ideologies around mask mandates and the Black Lives Matter movement. Maintaining traditional western and action tropes – shootouts, arson and the dusty grit of a Southwestern town – “Eddington” further subverts its genres by incorporating social media’s role in politics and the rise of right-wing conspiracy theorists.

With masks on and stakes high, the “Eddington” race for mayor is anything but ordinary.

– Talia Sajor

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking baby steps out of the darkness.

Directed by Matt Shakman, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will bring Marvel’s first family to theaters July 25. While the superhero team was formerly adapted in films from 20th Century Fox, this new iteration stars Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing. The movie will follow the core four in 1960s New York City as they defend Earth from the otherworldly villains Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will kick off Phase Six of the MCU, setting up the long-awaited “Avengers: Doomsday” release in 2026. While Phase Five was the lowest-grossing in MCU history, this film is expected to draw in audiences with its star-studded cast and distinct retro-futuristic aesthetic, which visually sets the project apart from other Marvel stories.

With this much excitement to look forward to, a trip back in time might be the key to saving Marvel’s future.

– Victoria Munck

[Related: TV preview: Anticipated seasons, new projects from familiar creators to hit summer screens]

“It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” (Magnolia Pictures)

Lover, you should’ve come over to watch this new film with me.

Magnolia Pictures’ upcoming documentary, “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,” will be released in theaters Aug. 8, and features never-before-seen footage, exclusive insights and personal accounts about the life and legacy of singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. The film is directed by Amy Berg – who has previous experience in documentary filmmaking through her piece, “Deliver Us From Evil” (2006) – and follows American musician Ben Harper, 55 years old, and the talented alt-rock idol before his tragic drowning in 1997 at 30 years old.

Known for his ’70s-folk, ’90s-grunge medley of genres, Buckley’s four-octave range and heartthrob stage presence allowed his 1994 debut album, “Grace,” to skyrocket his nascent career. Berg’s collection of high school band clips, notebook scraps, recording session conversations and various voice messages total to 1 hour and 46 minutes, revealing the inner workings of a singer who continues to have 8,311,726 monthly listeners on Spotify, 28 years after his death. Premiered at Sundance on Jan. 24, “It’s Never Over,” is described by “Rolling Stone” as a cinematic postmortem that is not “needlessly macabre” or overly-fixated on his demise but rather a fortunate remembrance of his life.

Jeff Buckley will soon feel the adoration of an audience once more.

– Eleanor Meyers

“Freakier Friday” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

This summer’s cinema collection is about to get freakier.

“Freakier Friday” – the sequel to the 2003 comedy “Freaky Friday” – will crash into theaters Aug. 8. The film stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mother Tess Coleman, with Nisha Ganatra – known for comedies such as 2019’s “Late Night” – taking the helm as director. Several other actors from the original film will reprise their roles, including Chad Michael Murray as Anna’s former flame Jake, Stephen Tobolowsky as teacher Mr. Bates and UCLA alumnus Mark Harmon as Tess’ husband Ryan.

“Freaky Friday” followed Anna, a high school student, and Tess, a psychologist, exploring the volatile relationship between the mother-daughter pair who developed a greater empathy for one another after eating enchanted fortune cookies and briefly switching bodies. “Freakier Friday” will take the multigenerational theatrics to a new level with the involvement of Anna’s daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and soon-to-be stepdaughter Lily (Sophia Hammons). With its predecessor having been nominated for a Golden Globe and grossing more than $160 million at the global box office, the bar is high for “Freakier Friday,” but its veteran cast could provide the necessary pedigree to propel the movie into becoming an acclaimed summer blockbuster.

With hilarity in spades all but confirmed, “Freakier Friday” is bound to fill movie theaters with humor and fun when audiences need a break from the summer sun.

– Reid Sperisen

[Related: Concert preview: Summer brings sunshine, a variety of genres to Los Angeles’ iconic stages]

“Highest 2 Lowest” (A24 and Apple TV+)

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington find their groove with a new crime thriller.

“Highest 2 Lowest” releases in theaters Aug. 22 following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19. This latest Spike Lee joint adapts Akira Kurosawa’s seminal 1963 film “High and Low,” itself an adaptation of Evan Hunter’s 1959 novel “King’s Ransom.” While Lee’s previous film remakes, “Oldboy” in 2013 and “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” in 2014, proved to be critical and commercial lows of his career, “Highest 2 Lowest” promises to be more akin to Lee’s previous cinematic heights.

The Oscar-winning actor, Washington, in his fifth collaboration with Lee, stars as David King, a wealthy music mogul. King’s opulent life is upended when kidnappers targeting King’s family mistakenly nab the son of King’s chauffeur Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright). To ransom Kyle back, King must descend to the streets of New York City, where he reckons with his past and confronts his future.

Stylish and thrilling, this reunion between Lee and Washington is poised to be one of the most exciting movies of the summer.

– Adam Kakuk