Originally Posted by
carsnoceans
1.5hrs each way is a whole lotta time wasted in tranasportation. Just personal 2 bits.
Unfortunately, depending on time of day and how the 10/405/101 are doing, it could very well take over an hour by car as well to get from Santa Monica to Universal Studios! :P (Unlikely, though I've had the unfortunate personal experience of being stuck on the 10 for a looong time). That said, if you want to minimize travel time, you're still probably better off doing Uber/Lyft as others have mentioned. Plus since the subway system is more of a hub & spoke model, it means you need to go all the way to Downtown then backtrack a bit on the way up to Hollywood.
(Though a plug in for the public transit - if you wanted to see things in Downtown LA or Exposition Park area, the Expo Line train from Santa Monica would be an easy way to go!)