Being a tad older, it was a different experience for me, as my friends and me were getting into the fantasy and the mythos. I went with my friend, and we certainly had our fun/shock with the revelation of Giovanni behind the creation of Mewtwo and, okay, Mewtwo killing all the scientists. We were comic book geeks, so the continuity mattered more to us.
For irony, we watched it in a double header with Dogma. From one end of the spectrum to the other. Heh. (At the time, I liked Dogma more. Now, it's the reverse, especially when I found out about the original Japanese version and the gorgeous art book Viz released in 99.)
As for the cards, they were out when we got to view, the following Friday. Oh, well. I eventually got them all, but had the most use with Mewtwo and Pikachu. (Although, I ended up liking the Electabuzz more than I did, at the time.)