Watch: Thirty Seconds to Mars’ dramatic ‘This Is War’ music video

You gotta hand it to him: Jared Leto certainly has a flare for the dramatic.

Whether is the down-and-dirty revealing of his preferred fetishes in “Hurricane,” the pink mohawk in “Closer to the Edge” or turning downed bicyclists into galloping horses in “Kings + Queens,” the Thirty Seconds to frontman goes big or goes home when it comes to directing the rock band’s videos.

“This Is War,” the title track and anthem of peace to 30STM’s most recent album, is no different. It places the actor-turned-singer and his bandmates on the frontline somewhere in the desert, purportedly in the Middle East, full camo, automatic weaponry, sexy slow-motion footage of firearms and flying tanks and aircraft carriers.

Wait, what?

[More after the jump…]

Yes, more than just fighter jets and helicopters hit the skies in this gritty clip, which also unsurprisingly points its finger at George W. Bush, heralds Martin Luther King, Jr., and rounds up some heavily copyrighted but beloved war footage. The ultimate conclusion is a little hazy, depending on your own interpretation of certain geometric symbols, but I will applaud the special effects that rival those in the trailer to “Transformers 4: What’s the Point” or whatever it’s called.

Oh, but those dreamy blue eyes behind the scope of an AK-47? It’s porn of its own.

Thirty Seconds to Mars is kicking off the next leg of their tour, dates below, and they’re pushing for theme nights at each, such as White Night, Hurricane Night, This Is War/Military Night, Yuppie/Preppie Night, Doctor/Patient/Medical Night. I’m sure those won’t look kinky in the least.
 

Here are Thirty Seconds to Mars’ tour dates:

April 8             San Jose, CA                       Event Center at San Jose
April 9             Los Angeles, CA                  Gibson Amphitheatre
April 12          Colorado Springs, CO         Colorado Springs City Auditorium
April 14          Chicago, IL                            Aragon Ballroom
April 15          Kenosha, WI                         Carthage College
April 16          Detroit, MI                              The Fillmore
April 17          Champaign, IL                     University of Illinois
April 18          St. Louis, MO                        The Pageant
April 19          Grand Rapids, MI                 The Orbit Room
April 20          Indiana, PA                           Indiana University of Pennsylvania
April 22          Raleigh, NC                          Raleigh Amphitheater
April 23          Orlando, FL                           Universal Studios Florida
April 24          Boca Raton, FL                    Sunset Cove Amphitheater
April 26          Morgantown, WV                 WVU Coliseum
April 27          Washington DC                   Patriot Center
April 29          E. Rutherford, NJ                 Bamboozle – New Meadowlands Stadium
April 30          Camden, NJ                         Susquehanna Bank Center
May 1             Boston, MA                           Agganis
May 3             Montreal, QC                        Metropolis
May 5             Toronto, ON                          Kool Haus
May 6             Montreal, QC                        Metropolis
May 7           Quebec City, QC        Pavilion de la Jeunesse
May 8             Portland, ME                         State Theater