The camera zooms in on his scarred face as Sarah's voice-over continues: "Skynet, the computer that controlled the machines, sent two terminators back through time. John Connor is saluted by his soldiers as he walks through a crumbling hallway and inspects the battlefield from a safe distance. They even use old cars as crude assault vehicles, but the machines' laser cannons are accurate and unrelenting. Although they suffer heavy losses, the humans manage to destroy several tanks, aircraft and androids. Flying aircraft search the ground for targets as T-800 androids sweep the terrain at places the tanks cannot access. Crushing skulls beneath their tracks, robotic tanks open a full-frontal assault on the humans, who are trained to make use of what shelter the ruined terrain offers them. A battle starts between human guerrilla troops and a technically far superior robotic army. They only lived to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines." The foot of a metallic android smashes a skull on the ground. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day.
The voice of Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton) narrates: "3 billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The world has become a wasteland of wrecked cars, destroyed buildings, and black-charred playgrounds filled with skeletons and skulls. The sounds of children's voices die out, followed by a flash-forward to Los Angeles in 2029 AD.
The movie opens with shots of traffic and children in playgrounds. Scenes described in red text appear only in the Special Edition.The synopsis below may give away important plot points.