Upon its release , the video received universal acclaim from contemporary music critics . James Montgomery from MTV felt that the video " is most definitely a massive thing , but it 's a spiritual endeavor , too : a celebration of a band , their fans and an unyielding sense of purpose " . He further commented , " the message , it seems , is clear : There is might in masses , a freedom in unity and strength in conviction . And all it takes to harness any of it is will . " Montgomery also noticed that although the band 's previous videos were more elaborate , " Kings and Queens " was " no less of an epic undertaking " . Joe Bosso of MusicRadar was impressed by the video and felt that " the beautifully shot clip " is a " reverent nod " to directors Akira Kurosawa and Walter Hill . He noted that its production values " have n't been seen in music videos for quite some time " . August Brown from the '' Los Angeles Times '' opined that with " raging wildfires and white stallion " that joins them , Thirty Seconds to Mars " has n't lost its taste for the epic " . Tim Grierson from About.com felt that Los Angeles is featured in all its glory in the music video for " Kings and Queens " . Kyle Anderson from MTV believed that although the premise and approach of the music video is " relatively simple " and does not feature special effects , it is " actually an incredibly cinematic , wholly satisfying experience " . In 2013 , '' Kerrang ! '' magazine included " Kings and Queens " among the best music videos by Thirty Seconds to Mars , noting that " the band never shy away from a challenge , making full use of frontman Jared Leto 's Hollywood experience and delivering huge , concept-based short films . " In December 2009 , " Kings and Queens " was voted the best video of the year by readers of '' Rock Sound '' . On August 3 , 2010 , the video received four nominations at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Art Direction , Best Direction , Best Rock Video , and Video of the Year . It went on to win Best Rock Video . At the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards , it was nominated for Best Video . It also received nominations at the Fuse Awards and the Kerrang ! Awards , winning Best Video at the 2009 Rock on Request Awards
2010 MTV Europe Music Awards
2010 MTV Europe Music Awards
Kings and Queens (Thirty Seconds to Mars song)