Planet blows up with clark having little to no knowledge of whats going on. until he hits 18 (or there abouts) he doesnt really fully understand his origins besides what the Kent's might have told him (I believe he had some knowledge from when he started getting some 'weird' powers). So i fail to see how his parents death is so tragic...and you compare his dad to Anakin's mom...well both Clark's parents were on Krypton when ip blew up.
When was Clark perplexed that he couldnt save them? First im pretty sure that he is aware that on krypton he wouldnt have the powers he has on earth. if you mean when his dad dies of a heart attack i dont really think he wined about it...grieved maybe, questioned why he couldnt stop it with all his power yes, but wine? i would go that far. and (i think its in the first one) he does later use his power to save Lois.
and any way this whole death of a parent thing happens in so many movies (or comics in this case because superman is based off a comic) for example, Batman, Leon The Professional (matilda's parents die and she then wants to become a 'cleaner'), Firestarter (her mom dies before the movie starts and her dad dies at the end), and im sure countless others. Plus if you expand the concept to loved ones you can add countless others The Saint, Snatch (Brad Pitts characters mother, so its actually fits in the family category), could even argue that shawshank redemption does this.
its not the same in all of them but the death of a parent/loved one causing a significant emotional change in the main character is there in all of them.
-Darth Simon