I started collecting X-Men comics after the Byrne/Claremont "Dark Phoenix" story arc, (my first issue was #148 (August, 1981) "Cry, Mutant"). I followed the series for years, up until issue #230 (June, 1988) at the beginning of the team's Australian phase.
I saw the first X-Men movie in 2000 in Montreal with good friends Don and Suzanne (I forgot my wallet, so Don paid for me. I promised to pay the next time we went to the movies, although we've never seen another movie together).
A couple of years later, I rented the VHS from the Blockbuster at Westdale Mall. My wife was initially reluctant to do so, but ended up loving it. (I think it was the first superhero movie she ever saw, predating even "Spider-Man").
I had a trade paperback of the Dark Phoenix saga, which my wife read and enjoyed. We saw X2 in 2003 in the VIP cinemas at the Varsity theater, and were tantalized by a glimpse of a phoenix-like shape in the closing shot of Alkali Lake.
As a result, we were pretty excited to see "The Last Stand". It was a really busy time in our lives, and I'm pretty sure that it was the only movie we saw in theatre, that year. Unfortunately, it wasn't that great.
Thirteen years later, I saw "Dark Phoenix" with my son, which was a much better treatment of the Dark Phoenix saga, although still flawed. If you've never read the comic books, do yourself a favour and check them out.
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