Friday, December 7, 2012
Adoption Movie Review: Superman 2
At the beginning of the first Superman movie, three rebels
were cast off from the planet Krypton. They are sentenced to eternal imprisonment, but
swear vengeance on Superman’s father and his next of kin. In this movie they
escape, come to Earth, take over the world and try to extract vengeance on
Superman. As remnants of Krypton, they
are toxic to Superman. In the meantime, Superman falls in love with Lois Lane,
who is finally figuring out that Clark Kent and Superman might just be the same
person.
The Adoption
Connection
The adoption connection in this movie is very minimal, but
still tangible if you watch it right after the first movie. In my last review,
I wondered why Superman’s birth mother did not seem to actively participate in
the plan for his safety. In this movie, she does. According to Wikipedia, this
came about because of politics between actors (or basically, a rift with Marlon
Brando), but it still does provide an element of Superman’s story that was
lacking in the last movie.
Strong Points
è
Superman’s mother was relatively silent during
the planning for his safety in the first movie. In this movie, we see her love
for her son.
Challenges
è
Superman has been hiding his true identity
behind the alias and persona of “mild-mannered Clark
Kent .”
In this movie, Lois discovers who he really is, but eventually forgets.
Weak Points
è
In the first movie, Jor-El told Superman that he
is “not one of them.” In this movie, Superman’s mother suggests that Superman
needs to forsake his specialness and to become mortal like Lois if he is to be
able to spend his life with her. An
adoptee could resonate negatively with these statements, and the message from
Superman’s parents seems to be: you’re not like them, and if you want to be
like them, you can’t be like us. Both /
and is healthier and more accurate than either/or. Later, Lois also suggests
that it must be “confusing” for Clark to be
both Clark and Superman; he expresses that it’s not. Although he is comfortable
owning all of his identities, his birth parents and Lois assume it is
impossible. Even Clark , in embracing both
roles, shows that he has not integrated them: he is Superman to some people,
Clark Kent
to others, and Kal-El to still others. It’s unfortunate that we never really
see Clark/Superman/Kal-El develop one cohesive identity.
Some Recommendations
è
This one probably should be used sparingly; the
concerns seem to outweigh the positives. The first fifteen minutes or so might
be helpful, if shown right after the first movie. If you do decide to watch this movie, there
are some positive conversations that could stem from it.
Questions for Discussion after the movie
è
For Kids:
o
Kal-El, Clark
Kent, and Superman are all the same person, but he acts like a different person
depending on who he is with. What is the same about him, no matter who he is
with? (He’s always kind, he’s always honest. He’s also always, really, the same
person. He’s just acting different.)
o
Do you ever feel like you are expected to act
differently around certain people? Who? And, what’s different from person to
person?
o
Superman can fly, shoot lasers with his eyes,
blow freezing breath… What super-powers do you wish you had? (Not every question has to be clinical! And
hey, why not make this a fun discussion question. Share your answer with your
kid!)
è
For
Foster/Adoptive Parents
o
In the last movie, Jor-El reminded Superman to
always cherish his special heritage; Superman did remember his heritage, but
never really integrated his identities. He lived a very compartmentalized life.
Does your child seem to be integrating all elements of his or her identity, or
is stuff pretty compartmentalized? Their answer to the first question might
provide some insight into that. What are you doing that impacts their
compartmentalization? What can you do to help?
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You write such interesting reviews Addison - I love how talking about how Superman compartmentalized his different identities could help a child to integrate theirs.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Jody. Your comment just reminded me about the Russian nesting dolls scene in Rise of the Guardians. I wonder how many other movies highlight compartmentalized identities.
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