# Terminator 2: Judgment Day Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/terminator-2-judgment-day/ 19 people recommended Terminator 2: Judgment Day in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. 10 of the 19 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “The tech of 'Terminator 2' – an oral history (2017)”. **Verdict:** Recommended for its pioneering effects, strong story and lasting status as a classic. Critics say the 4K remaster is over-denoised, smudged and looks worse than the 1080p release. Summary written by Claude from 28 comments. ## Why people recommend it - Pioneering effects for its time (5 comments in the sample): "This was a fantastic read. I had no idea how much of Terminator 2 had to be invented from scratch." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48863059)) "It's incredible how much of the technology had to be invented just to make Terminator 2 possible." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48875610)) "used the available tech in a way that was visually interesting" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49027244)) - Nostalgic favorite for fans (4 comments in the sample): "pretty much just testifying that this is exactly what I remember, and I was young at the time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48863128)) "T2 is the best movie ever made and got praise from nuclear physicists." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48873951)) "T2 is one of my favorite movies of all time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48865279)) - Well written, strong story (3 comments in the sample): "it's inarguable that Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2 are all better written than the Avatar films" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50263447)) "It's actually a really great story, which is kinda unusual for a sequel." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48862874)) "it works so well with John asking "are we learning yet" in a next scene." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48869192)) - Enduring classic that aged well (3 comments in the sample): "Terminator 2 was a huge cultural phenomenon." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48863304)) "That movie has aged incredibly well!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583574)) "It’s too bad because it’s a classic." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48885569)) ## What people warn about - 4K remaster denoised, looks worse (5 comments in the sample): "they 4K remasters are significantly worse looking than previous 1080p home media releases" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48894841)) "de-noised to hell making it significantly worse looking than the previous 1080p master" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48894807)) "The preview they released is so smudged though, like they tried to denoize it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48864624)) - Upscaled with mismatched colors (1 comment in the sample): "other movies like Terminator 2 are done lazily and have completely different colors" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45884905)) ## Other science fiction films people recommend - [Blade Runner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blade-runner/): 42 recommend, 10 mixed, 8 criticize - [Colossus: The Forbin Project](https://hackerapproved.com/p/colossus-the-forbin-project/): 29 recommend, 2 mixed, 2 criticize - [The Fifth Element](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fifth-element/): 20 recommend, 3 mixed, 1 criticize - [Jurassic Park (1993 film)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jurassic-park/): 19 recommend, 4 mixed, 6 criticize ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", https://hackerapproved.com/p/terminator-2-judgment-day/ (19 recommend, 1 mixed, 7 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.